Unwanted Help
by Light-Azul
Summary: It was a business deal, nothing more; but old feelings started to make way and she found herself in love...
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** My first fan-fic, AU and this idea isn't original; I picked it up from a book I read a long time ago called, Under Her Skin, but I have tweaked it to fit Puckleberry.

Just a few things, I don't live in New York and never been, so if something is wrong PLEASE tell me and I will fix it! Puckleberry will take a while to make an appearance and this story will take a while to be completed. My laptop is being repaired and the only internet I have at the moment is at work.

Hopefully in the next couple of months all that will be fixed. Updates will be sporadic at best but I will try my best to update at least twice a month. Also, I don't have a beta so if anybody is interested, PM me please!

Disclaimer: Anything you recognize, not mine.

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><p><strong>Chapter 1: The Beginning<strong>

"It's just a million dollars, that shouldn't be problem; will it Ms. Berry?"

Her attorney looked at Rachel expectantly, while she stared at him in disbelief. She was trying to wrap her head around this information.

Just?

She gripped the armrest harder, her knuckles turning white; while taking a second to compose herself, and speak with little emotion.

"Of course not," She said lying through her teeth. "But are you sure that amount is correct?"

"Yes, Ms. Berry that amount was clearly stated in the contract you signed when you accepted the money to expand your business."

Artie Abrams looked at her sympathetically through his glasses; she came to him when she was desperate to figure out how to save her floundering business. He took her under his wing and helped her out to become a semi-successful studio.

One day he approached her with an investor who wanted to help her out, he researched other projects the investor had done in the city, did thorough checks of legitimacy, and found that the investor had helped out other small business owners with no problems. The investor would lend her the money and she would make monthly payments until the given amount was paid off. If she failed to do so, then the investor would become sole owner of her business.

The only caveat was that it wasn't done directly with the investor, but through lawyers, and it was all done anonymously. Artie could only find information regarding the owners he had helped, not who the investor was.

Rachel was surprised that a stranger was lending her a hand, she was hesitant at first but with the encouragement of Artie, she went through with it. When she found out the amount of money she received, she was ecstatic. It was more than she had ever imagined and she knew that she was going to be of great use.

She had enough money to buy out the hair salon next door, the dry-cleaners behind the studio and the empty space next to the dry-cleaners. She was also able to refinish the floor, paint the rooms and divide her one room studio into several smaller studios. She was able to hire more instructors, offer more classes and advertise around the city.

It brought more business but it didn't make her ridiculous rich; just enough to break even and possibly a little bit more.

Rachel was dumb-founded, where was she going to get that money? She thought to herself, let me go look under my couch cushions, I might have a million dollar bill lying around.

She looked at the painting behind him and noticed that the blue was the same color as Artie's eyes. She got lost in the painting until he cleared his throat uncomfortably.

She jumped in her seat and blushed; her hands were on the desk nervously shuffled her papers; when she suddenly spoke.

"I don't understand, I had everything in order, payment was on time and we haven't had any incidents happen at the studio. What happened that the investor wants all of the money?"

Artie shifted uncomfortably in his seat and tried to piece the sentence he wanted to say without pissing her off even more then she already was.

"I can assure you Ms. Berry; according to the contract he lent you two million dollars, the remaining balance would be divided by however many months you took to pay the first one million. You paid the first million in twenty-four months. This means that since the investor decided to collect the remaining balance now, you have twenty-four days to pay the rest or he will become full owner of your studio."

Twenty-four days? She had a little over three weeks to get all the money or she would lose her business. What was she going to do? She trusted this man with her lively hood and now he was telling her that she could lose it all!

Rachel was going to tear this man apart but her manners got the better of her. She stood up and with a tight smile spat out her afterthought.

"I understand and I very much appreciate your time Mr. Abrams-."

"Soon Ms. Berry, please don't hesitate to contact me with any concerns. You can call me on my cell phone. Do you have the number?"

"Thank you Mr. Abrams, I have it. I will be in contact in the following days. Good bye"

Artie pushed himself back to show her the door, but Rachel practically ran out the door. She walked toward the elevators but then decided to take the stairs and ran down the five flights. Stepping out on the street she took in the crisp autumn air and decided to walk. She needed to think, what could she do? She had no money except for what was invested in the studio; her fathers were not going to help her and in no way was she borrowing.

That was what got her in this mess.

Where did everything wrong? How could her dream shatter into a million pieces and her be powerless to stop it? As she walked, she thought back to how she got the idea for a studio and the conversations she had with her fathers before coming to New York.

oo

"Dad, Daddy could both of you come downstairs for a moment please?" She called her fathers to their kitchen while adding the final touches to her power point presentation on her laptop, ready to be showcased on the white screen set up next to her laptop and her notes placed neatly next to her.

She asked them to have a seat, offered them refreshments, and then enthusiastically revealed her future plans. The white screen then turned on and showed a slide.

She picked up her notes and cleared her throat.

"Dad, Daddy, as you know senior year is coming to an end and I am set to graduate, with honors no less, in less than eight months."

She said this while handing them an outline of her presentation. She eyed them and continued.

The screen changed from "Rachel Barbra Berry: The Beginning" to "Rachel Barbra Berry: The Phases of a Star To Be…"

"Now, as you can see, pages one through fifteen are my goals. I have labeled them by age and the expected outcome for each one."

Page one read: 18: Graduate from William McKinley High school and move to New York to attend The New York Academy of the Dramatic Arts (NYADA).

22: graduate (with honors) in dance, vocal ability and acting. 24: land a Broadway role, (lead no less) 26: sign a recording contract. 27: become a powerful actress with her break through role playing a Barbra Streisand-esque leading lady.

Years 28 and 29 were reserved for falling in love and having children. Age 30: Have a star on the walk of fame. By the age of 35 she would have two kids, win a Tony, a Grammy, and an Oscar. By 45 she would retire from acting but like Barbra, dutifully turn to producing and directing her own movies. (With starring herself of course.)

At age 47, she would write her (authorized) biography and a year later she would sell the rights and then a bio-pic would be made about her adventurous and glamorous life. Starring only the freshest, most talented (after herself of course) actors of their time.

At age 50, retire with many awards and live on her private island overlooking the sunset.

The last slide sprang up, "Rachel Barbra Berry: The Glamorous Golden Years"

With the last slide up, she turned and looked at both of them.

"So Dad, Daddy, what do you think?"

She couldn't read either of them and started chewing on her bottom lip, a habit she did whenever she got nervous. Her Daddy looked at her with a blank expression and Dad was silent. She expected praise and applause; they were her parents, but also her biggest supporters. Rachel wanted to be a star, to see her name in bright lights and a billboard in Times Square; she wanted to be the lead on Wicked or Rent.

Unfortunately her fathers saw that being a dancer or singer on Broadway was something they didn't deem as a solid job.

Her Dad cleared his throat, while she braced for the blow.

"What are you going to live off of?" he asked.

Rachel internally cringed, but as an actress, she kept a cheery face.

"Dad, I would be at rehearsals, thus earning money to be able pay for room and boa-"

He cut her off and she shrank back a little, he never did that. He always let her finish. Always.

"Bunny, don't think that it doesn't break my heart to tell you this, but I don't think this is realistic. How will you pay for college? We agreed on New York but we also said that you would help pay for your education. We want you to achieve and be the best you can be but auditions are far in between, your father and I aren't going to take care of you for the rest of your life. Rachel, that's what being a grown up is all about. Leaving your childish dreams behind and facing reality as it comes."

She closed her eyes and tried to fight the tears threatening to pour out. She heard the chairs scrap across the floor and they walked out to the living room to turn on the TV to watch the news. She stood still, while a lone tear ran down her face.

She collected her things, walked to her room and got ready for bed. She slept horribly that night but she thought of their words.

They were wrong, it was realistic, it was achievable, and she was going to prove it to them. She wasn't going to let a single person tell her no.

Her first dream was NYADA and she dutifully applied, hoping to be accepted early; she turned in her application. She waited weeks, nervously anticipating, but optimistic that her acceptance letter was well on its way.

Finally, 3 weeks later, a lone (thin) letter with the NYADA emblem stamped on the crisp white envelope, appeared in her mailbox one Friday morning. She tentatively pulled out the letter and fingered the emblem. She automatically knew that she wasn't going to NYADA, but she walked into her house, and placed the envelope on her kitchen counter. She stared at it for a little while and decided she needed to go shopping for dinner. She grabbed her purse and her keys, looked back at the table, and walked out the kitchen door.

That night, she cooked lasagna with a fresh green salad and promptly cried the remainder of the day. Her fathers came home to find Rachel asleep at the table and the envelope on the table, the food untouched.

She was devastated when she was turned down from NYADA.

She reasoned that they weren't ready for her star power and that it didn't matter. She was going to be a star in her own right, her way.

She didn't know what other school to apply. Ohio State? No, too close to home. Sure, New York was about an 8-hour drive, but it was another state. She needed to get away from it all, especially the people that made her feel like she was nobody. NYADA was the school of her dreams. Nothing else appealed to her. The next day, she threw away all her NYADA plans and started a new dream board.

In the end, she decided to go to Ohio State, and graduated with a major in business. It didn't make her happy, but it was better than nothing.

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><p>Ok, so what do you think? Good or bad please review!<p> 


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Another chapter! I swear, writing is fun, but posting is way better. I love getting alerts about this story! I've made this chapter longer since I can't post as often and I'll try to post before Christmas but no promises. And yay for the reviews, they inspire me! Good or bad, let me know what you think!

Disclaimer: Anything you recognize, not mine.

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><p><strong>Chapter 2: Why can't I just run away?<strong>

Rachel had decided to take the long way to her studio; cutting through Central Park and watching the small children run around so freely. Not a care in the world. She happened upon a bench and sat for minute. She thought of her fathers but then banished them from her mind, she then thought of all the people that worked for her. Those people depended on her; some had families, others, dancing was their everything.

What was she going to do? All her employees were anxious for good news. Who could blame them? How do you tell someone that they're out of a job? She had a million questions running through her mind; had mixed emotions running through her, sadness, anger, stupidity; the list going on and on.

She was in her own mind, when a soccer ball happened to land at her feet. A boy, no older then 12, approached her with an embarrassed look on his face. She smiled and tossed him the ball; he sheepishly smiled back at her and ran back to his friends.

She stood up and walked towards her studio, it took her a little longer but as she approached the corner to it, she paused and silently willed that one of her employees not come out the door to ask her questions.

Uncertainty was in the air as she walked through the back doors. She looked around to make sure nobody was around and cornered her for information. She almost made it to her office when she heard a voice call out her name.

"Rachel!"

She cringed and slowly turned around. She came face to face with a pair of inquisitive eyes.

"Hello Kurt, how are you? You look fabulous in that color, it whole heartedly suits you."

Kurt rolled his eyes. "Don't give me that bs Diva. What happened?"

Rachel started chewing her lip and avoided his eyes. What was she supposed to say? She wanted to wish her problems away, shield him from devastating news.

She sighed. "I can't lie to you, but let's go to my office and we'll talk."

Kurt nodded and followed her.

He loved Rachel's office. She decorated it herself and considering how she dressed in high school, it surprised him that she could pull of such stylish décor.

Rachel walked around her desk and opened the blinds to let the morning sun in. Like the song says "The sun will come out tomorrow." How fitting for the horrible morning she had.

She sat down and offered Kurt a drink.

"Diva, stop trying to distract me." She blushed. "Just get on with it"

She cleared her throat.

"Kurt, the studio is doomed."

"Rachel, stop with dramatics. It cannot be possibly that-"

"Kurt, I owe one million dollars!" She screamed so loud, that a man who passed by her window was startled.

"Wha- m-million dollars? How?"

She told him of her meeting with her lawyer and everything about what the investor was doing.

Kurt was shocked; he knew the basics of the deal. He was there when she signed the contract, but Rachel never told him about the clause. He knew there was a substantial amount at risk but he never doubted Rachel for a second, she was trustworthy.

He was silent and so was she, he looked at the sun filtering through the blinds and thought back to the day when Rachel Berry literally crashed into his life.

oo

"Oof." Kurt landed on his bottom in the middle of the crowded hallway.

"Oh my goodness!" Said a voice. "I'm so so sorry; please let me help you up."

A hand was offered and he took it. He stood up and inspected himself, he found a smudge on his sleeve, and scoffed.

"Why today? The one day that I just happen to wear an Alexander McQueen original, and it ends up filthy. Look, I'm sending you the dry cleaning bill. Ok?"

He looked over and a petite, brown haired girl was standing there, watching him with her big, brown eyes. He gave her a once over and decided she was in desperate need of a makeover.

Holding out his hand. "Kurt Hummel and you are?"

"Hello Kurt, I'm Rachel Berry, Kurt, please forgive me. I was look-"

"Forget the jacket, honey, knee socks? And a reindeer sweater? Really? How about you and I have a little chat about what's suitable for an eighteen year old to wear?"

He grabbed her arm and pulled her towards his locker and never looked back.

oo

Kurt sat motionless until she cleared her throat. He looked at her eyes; they were on the verge of tears. He knew she needed comfort, and even though he was afraid for his future, he couldn't entirely blame her.

"Look Diva, I trust you, and whatever you decide, I'll be there to support you. Ok?"

She gave him a weak smile.

"Thank you Kurt, tomorrow-"

Her cell phone rang, so she picked it to look at the screen, and recoiled at the name.

Kurt stood up and stepped out quietly.

Holding the phone in her hand she debated to ignore the call, but if she did, it wouldn't stop the person from trying to reach her. After the fourth ring, she answered.

"Hello, Rac-"

"Bitch, about time you fuckin' answer!"

"Hello Santana, what a-"

"No, you ain't gonna give me the run around Berry. What the hell did Wheels want?"

She sighed and bit her lip.

"Berry? Ok, know what? Tonight is the foundation's benefit, you're gonna put on a dress, my choice, and you're gonna bring your hot smokin' ass and get shit faced. K? Then tomorrow, you're gonna tell me everything"

Rachel rolled her eyes but she had to agree, Santana was a bitch, but a pissed off Santana? No thank you.

"Of course Santana, Feed the Children is tonight, 8:00 sharp?"

"You bet your sweet ass."

oo

Her limo pulled up, arriving on time to the Met, it was beautifully decorated and famous faces were walking up to the grand entrance. She got out of her limo and was met by an usher who was escorting her to the entrance when she ran into a group of her instructors.

She was speaking to Mike, an instructor who taught hip-hop, when she noticed someone walking up the steps; cocky swagger, broad shoulders, and thought something about him was familiar. He had a gorgeous asian woman on his arm when he turned around, her eyes went big.

"Oh no, oh no, no I have to leave."

She looked around frantically and ran up the stairs to find Santana, leaving Mike behind confused.

She ran into the foyer and hid behind a curtain, looking around for Santana while silently praying nobody noticed her. She tiptoed further into the curtain when she saw Santana looking bored while a guy in an expensive looking tux, chatted her up.

"Santana!" She hissed, trying to not get expensive tux to notice her.

Santana saw Rachel and told the guy to get lost.

"Thank fuck you're here Berry, handsy over there was about ready to jump my bones right then." She gave Rachel a once over and smirked. "Damn Berry too bad you like guys, cuz damn, I'd be all over that."

Rachel blushed. "Do you have to be so crude? People are starting to stare!"

"Fuck 'em, they're here cuz I want them to be. Who wouldn't want to help the children and be seen doing it? Besides, I know for a fact that I could do anything that I fuckin' please here and not have anyone say shit about it!"

Rachel nodded but didn't agree; Santana hadn't always been a friend. She was a tormentor in high school and because of her; Rachel suffered through many embarrassing situations.

oo

They graduated and Santana was long forgotten, until one day Rachel happened to be late to her last class of the day and saw someone sitting on a bench crying. She debated to go to class, but as she got closer and saw who the girl was, she couldn't walk away.

"Santana?"

Santana sniffed and wiped her eyes with her sleeve.

"Berry?" She sighed, "Great, what are you doing here? Thought you'd be long gone and be the shining star you always wanted to be."

Rachel snorted, "Yeah well, not exactly, let's just say the star fell hard and reality can be a bitch."

Santana smirked, "Berry cussing? Never thought I'd see the day." She moved her bag closer to her and pulled out her compact, she didn't look at Rachel but something told her to sit down.

Rachel reluctantly sat down and watched a car pass by. They both sat in an uncomfortable silence, and as she sat there, she really looked at Santana. Her posture was unconfident, her hair not as shiny as it used to be and her eyes, they didn't have that distinct twinkle they always had. Not like the cheerleader she used to be in high school and that made Rachel sad. Where was the bitchy cheerleader who prided herself in being able to frighten someone with nothing but a look?

She cleared her throat. "May I ask you something?"

"You already did."

Rachel stood up and fixed her bag on her shoulder. She was annoyed; Santana was the same as she had always been. How could she ever expect her to suddenly change over the summer and be kinder?

"Very well, I have a class that I'm already late for, I might as well get the notes the professor is handing out. I'm very sorry to disturb you Santana; I will forget this and pretend it never happened. I see that being in college hasn't changed things one bit, I'm still the freak and will always be the freak."

Santana rolled her eyes, "Way to make a person feel guilty Berry. Sit your ass down." She grabbed Rachel by the wrist.

Rachel sat down and Santana explained to her what had happened; her grandmother found out she was a lesbian and kicked her out, saying that things like that should be kept secret. This devastated her to no end, the one person she thought she could rely on had turned her back and not a single word could change her mind. She stayed long enough to hear her say, what are the people gonna say?

Rachel nodded sympathetically and listened, she had known that Santana was a lesbian after her forced outing in high school. She felt awful for Santana and knew that not everyone accepted their preferences, being the child of two gay fathers made her learn this at an early age, she hugged Santana and comforted as best she could.

Rachel stood up and offered Santana a hand.

"Come on, I have an idea."

"No Berry, singing ain't fixing this."

Rachel giggled, and pulled Santana up. "Santana, your grammar is atrocious. We are going to have a girl's night. I know it isn't going to fix everything, but sometimes eating ice cream straight from the carton and watching silly romance movies is something every girl needs to do when feeling down."

Santana looked at Rachel strangely but she decided she was right, why didn't she ever get to see this side of her in high school? Oh right, she was too busy trying to be the ice queen bitch to notice the real Rachel.

She tightened her grip on Rachel's arm and started to walk towards her dorm.

"Let's go, I needs me some Rocky Road."

oo

Rachel gave Santana a hard look. "Speaking of which, why did you not mention that _he_ was going to be here!"

Santana tried to give her a confused look. "Berry, you gotta be more specific, you see all the papi's in this joint? I may like girls, but having some man candy around ain't hurting anyone."

Rachel was not amused, she knew the reason Santana hadn't mentioned _him_ was because if she had, then Rachel would not have shown up.

Santana looked at Rachel who was clearly having a conversation with herself and whether or not she could flee without running into him.

"Relax babe! It isn't like he showed up to fuck with you; he has money and wants to flaunt it a little. Now, if some of that money happens to land onto my auction table, then better for the kids, it's win-win!"

Rachel knew what Santana was doing, regardless of the bitchy and cold persona Santana might put out for everyone else to see, she truly loved her foundation. Her number one priority was making sure the money was put back into the community, not a single cent was misspent and Santana made sure of that.

Rachel held her breath then sighed. "Fine, only for the kids." She added. "And you." Santana gave her a genuine smile, and hugged her.

"That's right Berry, you love me and you love the cause. Now, get your hot ass out there and make the kids some money!"

Rachel wrinkled her nose and rolled her eyes. "You make me sound like a harlot."

"For the cause you will be!"

Rachel smiled as Santana walked away. She decided Santana was right and should enjoy her night and forget about _him_.

She walked up the stairs to the balcony, when she spotted Artie talking to a blonde haired woman; she blanched and walked straight to him.

"Good evening Mr. Abrams, how pleasant to see you here tonight."

She spoke in calm, even tone but wavered a bit at the end.

He turned around and excused himself. "Ms. Pierce, I'm very sorry to hear that. Please send your files to my office first thing tomorrow morning." She thanked him and excused herself, walking in the opposite direction. Artie faced Rachel and spoke in an uneasy tone.

"Ms. Berry, good evening."

Rachel looked around and motioned him to an empty hallway. He reluctantly followed her and sighed.

"Mr. Abrams-"

"Artie please."

She blinked, "Excuse me?"

He adjusted his glasses. "You can address me as Artie, we aren't in a formal setting Ms. Berry."

"Very well, you may do the same, Artie; I presume Ms. Lopez invited you tonight?"

Artie chuckled, "More like an idle threat to give away my money to good cause."

Rachel grimaced; Santana had the habit of doing that, this cause blurred the lines for her. She gave a tight smile and continued.

"I understand, Ms. Lopez can be very, um, persuasive. I surmise that our conversation from earlier today is to remain confidential?"

"Of course Rachel, I have an obligation as an attorney to a code of ethics. I am not allowed to discuss your case to anyone but yourself."

Rachel was relieved, thank goodness nobody else could find out.

"But M- Rachel, we do need to discuss the form of payment as soon as possible, the days are going to pass by very quickly and I can imagine that the amount is going to be a tad difficult to repay in time. One million dollars is not something someone has lying around."

She was silent. She knew that it was going to be impossible to repay.

You can kiss all the money, blood, sweat, and tears good bye Rachel.

She plastered her fake show smile on her face and looked straight into Artie's eyes.

"Not to worry Mr. Abrams, I shall have the full amount before the twenty-four days are over. Good night and please, enjoy the remainder of your night. Good bye."

She walked away without a single look back and failed to notice the lone figure, hidden behind a bookcase, watching her intently.

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><p>AN: Ok, so no Puckleberry sighting yet! Sorry, but I promise, next chapter (which I'm already working on) will have Puckleberry goodness. Thanks for reading and PLEASE review, I love reading them!


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: I basically have no excuses to why I haven't posted but it has been difficult to try to put up this chapter. I kept revising and editing it because I didn't like the outcome or I thought of something that I could add.

Btw these next few chapters will focus on Puckleberry but will also have the back story on the other couplings, yeah I know, but I feel like they add more to the story.

Not beta'ed, any mistakes are mine.

Disclaimer: Anything you recognize, not mine.

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><p><strong>Chapter 3: Surprises Life Can Throw...<strong>

After that brutal conversation with Artie, Rachel decided to head towards the balcony. She hoped it was empty so she could be alone. She walked out of the hallway, past a group of people mingling around, and found small table right by the door holding a tray of champagne glasses; she picked one up, then thought for a moment and grabbed one more.

She pushed the glass door open and took a step out, she shivered. It was colder than she had anticipated, but she welcomed it. Feeling something else was better than what she was feeling.

She debated to turn around and go back inside but she spotted a heat lamp and figured she would be alright.

She walked toward the railing all the while replaying the conversation she had had with Artie. He was right, coming up with the money and paying was going to be near impossible. She sighed and looked out towards the city; the bright lights were shining and her heart fluttered a little bit. New York would always be her dream; regardless of anything else, she still dreamed to see her name in those lights.

She was scared because everything she had built was going to tumble down all because she got greedy. She kept hearing a voice in her head, taunting her.

If you're gonna do something wrong, do it right.

She sighed; she sipped her drink and thought of her studio, it barely made her a living but it wasn't about the money. It made her proud that she could build something that started out as a dream, having little support from her parents and surviving on her own.

Footsteps pulled her out of her thoughts. She held in a sigh. They stopped right behind her, whoever the person wanted to speak to her. She brought the glass to her mouth and took a sip.

She was about to turn around when she heard a voice.

"Good evening."

She choked on her drink and started to cough.

"Geez Berry."

She kept coughing; she knew who it was and it made her panic. She never expected to see him after almost 10 years.

oo

Puck hated these fancy parties, they weren't his scene. The only reason he even decided to go was that if he didn't, then Satan would personally hunt him down and tear his balls out with her bare hands.

She had called him earlier in the week to remind (read: threaten) him to not forget about the party. He told her that he wouldn't, and that yes, he would spend a good (ridiculous) amount of money.

Damn that crazy broad, no one could mess with her and her passion.

He sighed, he didn't have a date. What the eff Puckerman? He had hotties calling every day describing in explicit detail all the dirty things they wanted to do to him. He just couldn't take one of those girls; San would neuter him on the spot.

He opened his desk drawer and pulled out his address book, he was flipping through mentally checking off who couldn't go. He sighed, the list was getting longer with women he couldn't take. Shit!

Someone knocked on his door, he gruffly called out. "Come in!"

Tina walked in and told him his ten-thirty was running late. He thanked her and then thought for a moment, maybe? He decided she was a really good candidate to go, so he asked her.

She laughed, legit in his face.

"No."

He crooked an eyebrow, "Babe-"

Tina gave him an incredulous look and her hands went to her hips.

"Listen here Puckerman, my name is Tina. Not babe, sweetie, hot thing, and most certainly not baby. Puck, I am not one of those uh, how do I put this nicely? Sluts? No... Whores? No... Oh yeah, no-"

"Tina." He interrupted, "Will you go with me, as a friend? I promise, nothing more. We won't even go to dinner and you can pay half of whatever we do spend. Deal?"

Tina rolled her eyes, "Fine, I'll meet you there."

Puck was about to protest, "Not a date! Remember?"

He relented, "Right. Eight o'clock sharp, at the Met."

Tina walked out of the office, "Yes sir Mr. Puckerman!"

oo

Puck was bored as soon as he walked in with Tina on his arm; he couldn't even cross the threshold and right away he was surrounded. Some pompous ass was talking to him about some shit that he truly didn't give a fuck about.

He excused himself, leaving Tina with the jerk; giving some nonsense excuse about needing to talk to Santana, and ran straight into Mike.

"Mike!"

Mike held out his hand and they did a complicated handshake.

"Dude, Puck! Long time no see, what, no phones in L.A?"

Puck shrugged, "Fuck off Chang, busy, ya know? How's it hangin', last I heard you auditioned for some movie?"

Mike grimaced, "Yeah, a drama slash dance movie, didn't go so well, I wasn't 'qualified' enough for them. Now I work at a dance studio here in New York teaching hip-hop. Owned by oh um, Rachel."

He rushed the last part that Puck almost missed the name.

Rachel? Berry? Huh.

Mike shifted awkwardly.

He pretended not to notice Puck's reaction, "She opened it about four years ago, and she recruited me after the movie audition went through and well yeah..."

He slowly drifted from the conversation.

Puck chuckled, "Really? Is she here?"

Mike swallowed, "Yeah, she's... around."

A waiter walked by with a tray full of drinks, he offered both one. Puck shook his head no, Mike grabbed one; which he quickly downed, and grabbed two more. Puck's eyebrow rose.

"Damn Chang, hittin' that juice a little too fast?"

Mike was on the third one when he spoke. "Need the confidence ya know? Saw a chick I might wanna talk to later."

Puck smirked, "She's not gonna want to talk to a sloppy drunk, fuck dude; she'll drop all on you the minute you open your mouth."

Mike chuckled, he finished his drink when he spotted someone making their way through the crowd, and quickly wiped his mouth with his sleeve and straightened his clothes.

Tina weaved her way around a woman and then stood next to them with a very annoyed look on her face.

She looked at Puck and spoke with an icy sarcastic tone, "Thank you so much boss, for leaving me with Mr. Grabass, he wanted me to go play with his 'joystick'."

She shuddered, "Next time, you can take that."

Puck burst out laughing, "Sorry Tina."

Tina had a very un-amused look on her face. She realized Puck wasn't alone. Her face went to embarrassment and she cleared her throat.

Mike was staring at her in awe, his jaw was practically on the floor; Puck wiped the pretend drool off of Mike's mouth.

"Get a grip Chang, you losin' your shit already!"

Tina blushed; she studied Mike for a beat and then held out her hand. "Hello, nice to meet you. I'm Tina Cohen-Chang, Mr. Puckerman's secretary slash personal assistant and you are?"

Mike's eyes bugged out of his head and thrust his hand into hers. "Mike Chang, uh, no relation?"

Tina giggled and gave a shook her head, "Not that I know of."

Mike grinned. They dropped their hands and Puck smirked, so this is her? Mike looked at Puck and motioned with his eyes that this was the girl he had been talking about.

Tina was oblivious, or so they thought. She didn't miss the way they talked about her with their eyes while they stood in a comfortable silence; she observed Mike. He was wearing a suit and wearing it very well, he wore some scuffed dress shoes, and you could tell his lean body was itching to get out of it. There was something about him that she liked, his stance was that of a dancer, straight but not snobby. His long, thin fingers were wrapped around the glass; no sign of a ring, though it didn't mean he wasn't married, but surely if he did have a wife she would have come along.

Puck cleared his throat, "Whelp Chang, I have to get going, Satan is probably lurking around making sure we're all spending our hard earned money. So I'm gonna go find something that I can blow the most cash on."

He looked at Tina who was pretending to be fascinated at a statue in the middle of a table, "Tina, you comin'?

Tina shook her head, "If it's alright with you and Mr. Chang-"

"Call me Mike," Interrupted Mike.

Tina's cheeks tinged red, "Okay, Mike. I'll stay here and um, look around with him?"

Mike looked at Puck with pleading eyes.

Puck rolled his eyes and shrugged. "S'cool, I saw Sam earlier. I hafta ask him about our upcoming deal."

Mike said a silent thank you to him, gave him a fist bump, and proceeded to guide Tina around the room.

Puck chuckled, always the good friend. He gave them one last look and walked the other way; he was on his way to the formal dining room when a movement caught his eye.

He saw Artie closely following someone to a secluded part of a hallway. Huh. He looked around, made sure they were alone, and followed him.

He walked a couple of steps behind them and when they turned, he slipped in.

By sheer luck a bookcase was by the wall and he hid behind it.

He heard hash whispers being exchanged, he strained to hear; he heard Artie and a female voice talking. He furrowed his eyebrows, who was that?

He pressed himself closer and inched closer; he peeked and saw a back.

She was wearing a strapless purple dress, her hair was curled and she was wearing fuck me heels.

Damn, for someone so short she had some long ass legs.

She was facing Artie; who had an uncomfortable look on his face, and he heard Artie say that she owed a million dollars.

Puck's eyes went wider.

The fuck? Puck frowned, turn around, dammit, turn around so I can see your face.

She placed her hands on her hips and took a step to the side, Puck could now see her profile and something about her made him think.

He wanted to yell, Turn the fuck arou- HOLY. SHIT.

Rachel spun around on her heels, ready to storm away when she suddenly froze.

Puck had to hold back a noise.

She looked gorgeous, gorgeous? Shit, pansy ass. No, she looked hot as fuck. With her eyes all smoky, hair curled and hot ass body.

What really turned him on was how mad she looked; breathing hard, cheeks flushed and how her chest rose rapidly with every breath.

It made him remember how she felt in his arms.

Her legs wrapped around his waist, nails digging into his shoulders- fuck! He felt something surge through his veins making him feel flustered and antsy.

Like the need to fuck her then and there.

Puck noticed Rachel plaster the smile she usually reserved when she didn't want anyone to know how she really felt.

He'd seen it enough during high school when Santana and Quinn bullied her.

He pressed his body closer to the bookcase and tried to not be seen.

Rachel faced Artie again and she told him she'd have the money; soon.

When he saw her walk away, he followed her. He took soft steps as not to alert her of his presence. He saw her grab some drinks off a tray next to the exit and walk out the door.

Seeing her shiver made his dick twitch.

She practically glided to the railing and when she reached it, he noticed her shoulders slump forward. Shit, she's fuckin' beautiful. She was everything he remembered, but now she looked so... so not her, but defeated.

He felt bad and wondered where the girl he (kinda) knew was from so long ago. The girl who said she was better and who would become the star and show every single person who put her down that she was not going to let anyone walk over her.

But looking at her and seeing her so vulnerable made his heart swell a little and he felt like walking up to her, wrap his arms around her, and comfort her.

He shook his head, shit, been hanging around Blaine too much.

He patted himself to make sure he still had a dick, yup, Puck Jr. firmly in place.

He shuffled a bit and then took harder steps, he saw her back stiffen. She took a sip of her champagne as he spoke.

"Good evening."

She started coughing and he quickly came up behind her and placed his hand on her back.

He smirked and muttered, "Geez Berry."

He took a step and his chest crashed into her back.

She gasped and his heart starting beating a little bit faster. Puck! What the fuck is wrong with you?

He felt her shiver and his knees went weak, FUCK PUCK! Man the hell up! She should be the one droppin' on her knees-FUCK!

Now he was thinking about what she could be doing on her knees.

It made him harder; it was starting to become an agony.

He wanted to explode, feel her constrict around him, her tight sheath milking him.

He became bolder and inched closer; his hips grinding into her back.

Puck smirked, but didn't move.

She felt good in his arms, with her soft curves melding into his hard body.

Her hair tickling his chin and her perfume was intoxicating, mixed with something else he couldn't decipher.

She was still coughing so he lightly patted her back to get her to stop.

She felt him move even closer and felt his hand on her shoulder.

It was strange, she felt like she was having an out of body experience. She wanted to move but her body was frozen, as if her feet were glued to the floor.

Her breathing was labored; his hand was leaving a burning sensation on her shoulder.

Her insides were churning, her knees weaker and her body was starting to react even more now; he was practically lying on top of her.

Her mind was going hazy, his other hand was slowly inching its way to her hip, and his hard body was pressed firmly to her back. She felt all of him, his abs, and his strong thighs pressing into her bottom.

If she moved her hips just a tiny bit, she could fee- Oh. My. God. He felt delicious.

Thoughts flickered in her mind, like a light switch being turned on and off. She saw herself writhing underneath him while he pounded away, moaning, and sweat forming on his brow, his eyes half closed.

Her legs wrapped around his waist, heels digging into his skin. His hand fondling her breast and his mouth nipping the other.

Her nails digging into his shoulders, she moaned; he smirked, and whispered "So good. Mmm baby, you like that?" She couldn't speak; inaudible sounds were spilling from her lips.

She was close, her mouth opened but instead of talking she let out moan.

Wait. Did I do that out loud?

That snapped her back to reality, she shook some of the haziness out of her head, and quickly realized her situation.

She was beginning to get angry, more at herself for letting this happen, and at him for causing it.

She gritted her teeth and spoke in an icy tone.

"Mr. Puckerman, please remove your hands off of me this instant!"

Puck flinched. Mr. Puckerman?

Fuck. Fuck. He stepped back and dropped his hands. Fuck! Puck, get your shit together!

Rachel felt the heat leave from her body, she involuntarily shivered again, and rubbed her palms on her arms to get some of it back. She pushed herself off the railing; Puck ran his hand through his hair and sighed.

"Berry, it's Puck or Stud. You're choice."

Rachel turned around; her face clearly not amused. "Puck."

It felt foreign and wrong rolling off her tongue, "Leave. I would rather be alone then be in bad company."

She waited for him to turn around and go inside.

When he didn't, she started to walk away.

She was a few steps ahead when she felt his hand on her wrist pulling her towards him. She tugged trying to release herself but to no avail.

She looked him square in the eye, "Let. Me. Go."

Puck dropped his hands and waved them in the air.

Rachel huffed. How dare him!

She scoffed. She took a step when he spoke.

"Tell me about the money."

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><p>AN: Please don't hate me! Lol. I am SO sorry I haven't posted. RL, work, and taking care of a 5 year old is draining. The next chapter might be up soon. Maybe. I have my outline up, but no chapter. Yet. I have a tiny clue to where this is going, kinda; I know the end but not exactly how to get there. I'm rambling, so… Review? They make my day!


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: So here's the next chapter, I'm losing my inspiration for this already and I have quite a ways to go. I'm already working on the next chapter and the one after that, fingers crossed I finish those quickly.

Not beta'd, any mistake are mine.

Disclaimer: Anything you recognize, not mine.

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><p><strong>Chapter 4: We Have A Deal…<strong>

"Tell me about the money."

Rachel froze, the words ringing in her ears. Puck didn't move; he waited for Rachel to say or do something. After a beat, Rachel composed herself.

"H-how d-did you know that?"

It was a whisper that Puck wasn't even sure she had spoken. He stepped closer.

"How did you know that?" She asked even louder.

Puck thought for a moment, the truth?

He coughed, "I saw Artie, so I followed him."

He chuckled, "I saw him talkin' to you and I heard him say you owe him money?"

Rachel became enraged, "You were spying on me?"

Puck licked his lips, "Nope."

Rachel turned around and walked back to the railing, she let out a breath, and thought for a moment, could he be the one? Who else heard?

At that thought she whirled around and asked, "Who else knows? Besides you, did anyone else follow? Wh-"

He cut her off, "Babe, just me."

Rachel stomped her foot, Puck almost chuckled.

"Noah Puckerman, I am most certainly not your babe!" She let a growl; Puck quirked an eyebrow.

"You called me Noah, remembering the good old times?"

Rachel smiled, wait, Rachel you're supposed to be mad at him! Her face went stony and she sighed. Should I tell him? But he could be the one trying to shut you down. Can he be trusted?

She sighed again, might as well; he knows enough, "Alright, we'll discuss my… situation, but Noah, you must not tell anyone. It's imperative to my reputation and well truthfully no one else needs to know my business. I expect you disclose nothing and keep all aspects of any details to yourself."

Puck laughed, "Berry, I have no fuckin' clue what you just said; you coulda said all that in five words or less."

Rachel rolled her eyes, "Noah, I am quite certain that you have an understanding of my extensive vocabulary capabilities, furthermore, I will not 'dumb' myself down for anyone. More so for the fact-"

Puck took a step forward and interrupted her, "Berry, why do you need the money?"

He said it in a low grave voice that she gulped.

She was staring into his eyes and involuntarily licked her lips; she was stuck, her brain was sending the signals to move but her body refused to.

He moved from her eyes to her lips and noticed that they were wet with her saliva; if he took one more step he could kiss her.

She suddenly pulled back, the moment broken.

"I-I owe a million dollars," she started saying. "My studio is in trouble; I procured a loan in the amount of two million dollars from an anonymous investor about two years ago, under the guidance of Mr. Abrams. He assured me that I would not have complications of any sort from this loan; he had done a thorough inquiry on who this investor had helped and whether or not those individuals had had problems with him or her. Everything was going very well; I received the money and was able to expand my business, buy more space, hire additional instructors, and buy advertising and what not. I paid the first million dollars in a little over two years. Everything was copacetic, or so I thought; earlier this afternoon I met with Mr. Abrams amd he explained the issues."

She paused, "Noah, what am I going to do?"

She looked so worried; chewing on her bottom lip, tears threatening to fall, pacing back and forth, and all he could think of was that she looked breathtaking.

FUCK!

He ran a hand thorough his hair and blew out a breath, "Why don't you ask your dads for the money? Weren't they supporting you to make it big?"

Rachel laughed wryly, "Noah, I haven't spoken to them since I left Lima, almost eight years ago."

She sighed, "They wanted me to be someone, not famous for my acting, but someone who had a solid career. I couldn't depend on them; I started my studio with money my daddy's mother left when she died, it wasn't a lot, just enough for the down payment of my location, hire two dance instructors and the first three months of rent for the space."

oo

Rachel was extremely excited, today was the day; after having looked at almost six different locations, she had found The One. No not for marriage or anything like that. Her studio was finally starting to become reality.

Her real estate agent was exasperated with her, though she would never tell Rachel that; Mercedes was too much of her friend and knew Rachel too well to tell her off.

She had shown Rachel a space that was up to her standards, it was in a quiet neighborhood, surrounded by other businesses, and it was at her price level.

"Mercedes, I love it! It's the perfect size, and I can see the other shops, I think this is it."

Rachel had a wide smile on her face, her eyes shining and she could feel a giggle escape her mouth. She had found it!

She walked in and noticed that it did need some work; the paint chipping off the walls, she wrinkled her nose, a strange smell seemed to emanate from the floors, and the front windows were covered with yellowed out newspapers. She could see that the space was old and had been abandoned for some time.

Mercedes clapped her hands, "Great, let's go to my office and finish the paperwork and if we get everything signed today; it's yours."

Kurt squealed, having been forgotten by both woman, and hugged Rachel. "Rachel, we have to go shopping, these walls are dreadful; grey clashes with my skin tone, and yours."

He shook his head. "We need 500 ccs of color. Stat."

Rachel giggled. "Kurt, all in due time. The space has not even been acquired yet, but I promise; only Kurt Hummel will decide how the studio will be decorated."

Kurt held out his pinky, Rachel placed hers in his.

"Pinky promise."

oo

Rachel held back her tears; it was really starting to hit her, the more she talked about it, the more it became real.

Puck blew out a breath; she was going to lose all of it, not just her business, but her home, her life, and then he thought for a moment.

She could help him and in return he would help her, but would she really go along with it? He felt confident that she would, she was desperate.

Chicks would do anything for money.

Now to convince her.

He cleared his throat, "So, I could give you the money?"

Rachel raised her head, was he serious? "You mean you would loan me the money?"

He shook his head, "Nope."

Rachel furrowed her eyebrows, "Noah, I am not in the mood for this. What game are you trying to play?"

Puck wanted to laugh, this girl was smart; he stepped closer and simply said, "Let's negotiate."

Rachel laughed, "What? Negotiate? Don't be ridiculous Noah! I have nothing of value, what would you want from me?"

Puck dropped his eyes to her toes and slowly made his way up; lingering on her legs, then traveling up her body. His eyes stopped at her chest, taking his time to inch closer and closer until he met her eyes.

Rachel was blushing, her body was responding just to his gaze, electricity crackling in the air, and started to feel desire start to pool between her thighs.

Rachel had to push that down to be able to concentrate, she suddenly became angry sputtering out her response, "I think that you are a pig Mr. Puckerman, I am not for sell! Most certainly I am not one of those, those whores-"

Puck held up his hand, "Whoa Berry, I don't have to pay for sex, 'sides, who wouldn't wanna a ride on the Puckerone Express? I ain't askin' for that, but remember that night we had?"

Rachel flustered but then looked him, what does he want?

"What do you want then?" She asked.

Welp, here goes nothin'.

"Marry me; Ma won't get off my ass to marry 'a nice Jewish girl' and pretty much have her 'perfect Jewish grandbabies'."

She stopped listening after he said 'marry me', everything else was ignored. Marry him? Her logical side was quick to say 'no', but her desperate side thought about it for a minute. No, absolutely not! No, no, no-

"You want me to marry to get your mother off your back? Noah, lie to her? I cannot have that on my conscious; marriage is sanctity, a very very important decision not to be made lightly. On top of that would we have a wedding? Invite our family and friends to be a part of this sham? No, I cannot have our friends be a part of something so deceitful; I could not live with myself knowing I have been part of something so immoral. So my answer is no, Noah, I cannot get married to you."

Rachel felt she had been straight forward, he seemed less than satisfied with the answer, but she decided to leave and forget this entire mess.

She was ready to retreat when he said, "Engaged then."

She stopped, an engagement? Again, her logical side screamed no, no- but then she thought about it, an engagement didn't always mean marriage, a broken one was less deceitful than a mirage of something to never come.

She gnawed her lip; she was sure somehow down the line she was going to pay for this. It screamed KARMA, but she relented; could my mind be muddled by the debt?

Clearly my reasoning is off, because in no other circumstance would I even consider this.

He licked his lips, she had a look in her eye that told him that no way in hell was she going to accept; Shit, messed up already, stuck my damn foot in my fuckin' mou-

"Deal."

Puck's eyes widened in surprise, seriously?

Rachel sighed and nodded, "Yes, I am shocked as well; but given that an engagement is not something as catastrophic as a broken marriage, are the only reasons I can even begin to stomach the consequences. Now, given that this is nothing more than a business negotiation, I have a few stipulations you would have to agree to."

Puck shrugged his shoulders, "Ok."

Shit, there's always a catch.

Rachel clasped her hands together, "Very well, this will not be a long engagement, no more than six months, we have been a couple for a few months and have decided we are ready to take the next step. There will be no planning as we have decided to have a small civil ceremony and an even smaller reception; I am not going to send out invitations or save the dates. I expect fidelity, which is not negotiable; if unfaithfulness were to occur, then be rest assured that there will be consequences. Do we have a deal?"

She held out her hand fully expecting him to shake it.

Instead he had a grin on his face, "Hold up, I have one uh, 'stipulation' I wanna add."

Rachel had a horrified look on her face, oh no, what else?

Puck thought for a moment, "You have to come live with me. In my bed."

Rachel froze. "You want us to have sex?" she squeaked out.

Puck chuckled, "Our engagement has to be legit, I live in a big house with housekeepers; they could talk, find out it ain't real. Imagine one of them calling my ma and telling her we aren't a real couple; she wouldn't shit a brick, she'd shit a house. Living together, take it or leave it."

Rachel wrung her hands together, she wanted to walk away; this was not part of the plan.

"I can't." she finally said, "No."

Puck gave a dismissive shrug, "S'whatever then."

She watched him walk away and instead of seeing him, she saw her studio; everything gone in the blink of an eye.

"Wait."

He stopped and turned around. "We have a deal."

Puck arched an eyebrow; good, he thought. He reached into his front pocket and handed Rachel his card.

"Good, here's my card. Call my office and I'll let Tina know to give you directions to my house here in New York. Now, to make this official."

He pulled her towards him and kissed her, she was taken aback for a moment but gave in; his lips firm and soft, he bit her lip softly and beckoned for her to part her lips for him. His hands were on her waist, rubbing circles into her hip bones; they were starting to wrap around her, her arms were wrapped around his neck, desperate to pull him as close as she could to her.

She felt heat engulf her body, his tongue slipped into her mouth and she felt a thrill run her body; shivering with lust and want, the need to feel him inside her.

They finally parted, Puck slowly pushing himself back. Rachel had to regain her composure, her legs were wobbly and she could barely stand up straight. He fixed a strand of hair that had gotten loose from behind her ear, she gave him a shy smile, and he gave her a chaste kiss on the lips.

"Later Berry."

* * *

><p>Review?<p> 


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Hiya! I was not expecting the positive response the last chapter received but I gotta tell you, I love it! I truly appreciate the reviews and that everyone loved the twist. Now, this chapter is nothing more than a filler chapter, it might have glimpses of Puckleberry, but it had to be written to put the motions in action. Can I just ask for trust? Sooooo….. Enjoy?

Not beta'd, any mistakes are mine.

Disclaimer: Anything you recognize, not mine.

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><p><strong>Chapter 5: Decisions, Decisions <strong>

**One week later...**

Rachel awoke to someone pounding on her bedroom door, "Berry, I'm comin' in, pullin' you by the greñas, and draggin' your skinny ass out if you don't get the fuck up!" Santana yelled through the door.

Rachel dug herself deeper into her bed and pulled the covers over her face; she closed her eyes, willing Santana to go away.

"Fuck no, I'm not leaving till you fuckin' pull yourself together and tell me what the hell is going on!"

Rachel grimaced; she sighed but got up and silently padded to the door.

She unlocked the door, but as soon as she did, Santana pushed her aside and stormed in.

Santana went straight to her bed and sat down, giving her a glare.

Rachel stayed facing the door, not wanting to turn around and face her; she knew that Santana hated when she did this, hide and shut everyone out.

Santana might have had a hard exterior but she genuinely cared about her friends and family; Rachel being unresponsive made her worry with grief.

She had been looking for Rachel the night of the benefit and had been concerned when no one had seen her leave.

She had seen Puck leave, but no Rachel.

She had tried calling and visit but she had had a case with her foundation that had been difficult to leave; the IRS was investigating her for money laundering.

Someone had tipped them off and now it was beginning to be a long road trying to prove that the money was going where it should; the kids.

She had finally gotten them to take all her financial records and was currently working closely with her lawyer.

Santana studied her nails, picked an imaginary thread from Rachel's bedspread, and decided she had had enough.

"Well?"

Rachel was still at the door. She wanted to bang her head against the door; she closed her eyes, and held her breath. Time to face the music she thought.

She turned around and walked towards her bed, avoiding Santana's eyes and sat down.

They sat in silence until Santana whispered, "Rach?"

That's all it took for the floodgates to open, everything Rachel had been holding and burying inside, poured out.

Santana immediately wrapped her arms around her and soothed her.

"Shhh, I'm here."

Rachel sobbed into the Latina's chest; all the guilt, sadness, all of her emotions were starting to eat her away. On top of it all, she was lying or going to start lying, to a woman that had been there for here as a surrogate mother and had never thought twice about her actions.

She calmed down enough to go to her nightstand and rummage through it, when she found the card she handed it to Santana.

Santana gave her a questioning gaze until she read the name on the card, her eyes widened in surprise. She knew Puck had seen Rachel, but not talked to her.

Puck had handed her a reciept and told her that he had spent his money on something fuckin' useless, and was she happy?

Santana gave him a shit-eating grin and said yes, he rolled his eyes and said that he was leaving.

Santana could feel something off about him; he was distracted and not checking out that bimbo who was making bedroom eyes at him.

She sent the tramp a death glare and then she remembered; Rachel had been missing since she had walked in.

She asked if he had seen her and while he tried to act as if he didn't care, she could hear in his voice that something had happened between them.

She thought about it the following days, until she had gotten the news about the IRS.

That news had her completly distracted.

Seeing the name on the card made her realize she was right.

That dumbass motherfucker, what the hell did he screw up now?

Santana waited until Rachel composed herself enough to talk; she knew Rachel was going to tell her, but she couldn't believe the story that came out of her mouth.

As Rachel finished telling Santana everything, she rose from the bed and crumpled the card.

Santana was furious; first, at Rachel for not telling her about the trouble she was having and at Puck, for taking advantage of Rachel when the girl was clearly desperate to save her business.

Santana stormed out of the room; bitch mode revved up and ready to pounce, she'd deal with Puck first then Rachel.

She could hear Rachel yelling at her to stop; she turned a corner and reached for the door when she felt a hand on her shoulder;

Rachel was standing behind her, tears streaming down her face, and with a look on her face the broke her heart.

"Please," she whispered. "You can't go after him, he's my only option."

Santana drew a shaky breath; this was going to be difficult, her rage was spewing from inside her, to go to Puck's office and just… Do something.

She gave up, she turned around and faced Rachel; she looked in her eyes, which were rimmed red and puffy from all the crying, and gave her a silent ok.

Forgetting her own problems, she spoke in a soft voice to Rachel.

"Why didn't you come to me? You could've told me the problem and I could've helped you. The foundation is getting a lot of donations-"

"No," Rachel said cutting her off. "No, you're getting those funds to help children that have nothing to eat, who truly need the aid; not some foolish woman who became greedy and bit off more than she could chew. I could not take that from them; Noah came to me and we negotiated; there is absolutely nothing to worry about. We came to… terms that should work well for the both of us, no feelings whatsoever are-

"Berry, you still love him, don't you?"

Rachel went silent; the question catching her off guard.

That was it.

There was the reason why she let herself get into this situation. It had been floating around in her mind but she was making excuses and not letting herself see the truth. If she could, she would deny it when anyone else would tell her otherwise.

Rachel furiously shook her head, "Santana that is beside the point; I am going to do this, I- we have a spoken agreement that I cannot back down from. We pretend for six months and then it is done."

Santana couldn't understand this person who was claiming to be Rachel because the real Rachel didn't act like this; the real Rachel would have scoffed and walked away, given a million and one reasons why this "business" was not going happen, and she wouldn't have even considered giving Puck a chance.

Not after what he did to her.

She was desperate and Santana felt like such a horrible friend for not seeing that her best friend was struggling.

"Berry, I love you but I don't know who you are."

She spoke in a broken whisper, "How can this be a good idea? Puck is going to fuck with you, again, and I have to see that person I saw so many years ago. I can't see you a broken mess, someone who was so heartbroken that it took a year to say his name. You think it didn't hurt me to see you like that? Sure I wasn't your best friend like I am now, but that is someone I never want to see again."

She sighed, "Know what? It's your life, your feelings, and I'm not gonna stand in your way. Get hurt, break whatever is left of that fragile heart, but I am not gonna be here to watch you do that to yourself. I'm sorry Rachel."

With those final words, she opened the door and left; leaving a sobbing Rachel slumped on the floor.

Santana made it as far as the third floor of Rachel's building before the flurry of tears became too much and didn't let her see anymore.

She was gasping from the lack of air and pulled out her cell phone, she tapped out a number and impatiently waited until the other person answered, "We need to talk. Today."

With that, she hung up and walked out of the building.

oo

Rachel was sitting on the floor; she sniffed and looked up at her clock hanging over her bar, it read ten o'clock in the morning.

She jumped up and realized she was late for work.

She ran into her room, quickly dressed, and ran out the door.

She hailed a cab and gave him the address; she was there fifteen minutes later, she hurried to the entrance and was met by an unfamiliar face at the receptionist desk.

"Hello, welcome to Right On Pointe dance studio, how may I help you?"

Rachel was about to answer when Kurt came running out and laughed, "Anya, sweetie, this is Ms. Berry, the owner."

Anya turned beet red, "Oh Ms. Berry, I'm very sorry! Now I feel like a fool."

Rachel gave Anya a tight smile, "Nothing to worry about, I'll be in my office. Kurt, may I have word with you please?"

Kurt nodded and followed her; he waited until she stepped in and closed the door. He noticed the puffiness of her eyes and her sad appearance; he wondered what was wrong, it was very unlike Rachel to be late but not unheard of.

She had called him earlier in the week and said she would take a few days off, but today was the day she was supposed to be back and she wasn't here when it was time to open. He called her but got her voice mail instead; he couldn't leave because no one else who had been in charge and he had just hired Anya to work, he couldn't leave her on her first day. So he waited and when he happened to glance out his window and saw her run in; he immediately decided to find out what had happened.

Rachel was exhausted, physically and emotionally; Santana reacting the way she did was the last straw.

She thought of how she was right; the person Rachel had been was someone that had felt hopeless and miserable.

She took a deep breath and sighed; she sat in her chair and faced Kurt, who he was staring at her with a quizzical look on his face.

"Rachel, are you ok?"

Rachel coughed. Not yet, he can't know anything yet.

"Kurt, I express my apologies for my tardiness; my alarm did not go off this morning and it caused a delay in my routine, I am truly sorry and can assure you that it will never happen again."

Kurt slowly nodded, she wasn't ok but she was trying to convince him otherwise.

He ran his hand through his impeccable hair and stood up.

"Very well; I hired the new receptionist and well, you already met her, she's sweet; only 22 but I think she'll fit in just fine. Nothing happened this morning to cause any concern and it has been a pretty quiet day. If nothing else is needed to discuss then I'll be in my office."

Rachel nodded and watched him leave.

She felt remorseful and ashamed for the fact that she was lying to everyone, even Kurt, and she knew that this was how she was going to start paying for her deceit.

oo

She waited for lunchtime to come around to call Puck, she felt silly for not remembering to ask what he did for a living; she assumed it had something to do with music.

His card had his name and a number, no pictures or an address, then she pieced it together; these were the cards he gave to the women he picked up.

She shuddered, so much for that now.

She picked up her phone and keyed in the number; she hesitated to press the send button, Rachel, he is your only option.

She sighed and pressed it.

"Thank you for calling NTA, Mr. Puckerman's office; Tina speaking. How may I direct your call?"

Rachel gave a shaky breath, "Good afternoon, my name is Rachel Berry-"

"Ah, of course Ms. Berry, Mr. Puckerman instructed me to transfer you as soon as you called. Please hold while I transfer the line." Tina paused and then added "And congratulations Ms. Berry, we are all very excited for Mr. Puckerman's upcoming wedding."

Rachel almost lost her nerve; he was already telling people?

She huffed, but thanked her.

She heard a click and then a voice. "Berry, thought you wasn't gonna call, I was startin' to give up on you."

Rachel told herself to keep her cool, Puck was being Puck, and he was going to do the impossible to make her feel uncomfortable.

She gritted her teeth, "Hello Noah, I've just been congratulated on our upcoming wedding. I assume we're telling people now? Noah, how could you have been so sure I was not going to change my mind? What if I would have called and said the deal was off?"

Puck laughed; the nerve of him! "Babe, you kissed me; that confirmed your answer. I told ya; it has to look legit, you really want a crazy, angry jewish woman on your doorstep? Cuz I sure as hell don't, so good luck with that."

Rachel was silent, it was bad enough her best friend was no longer speaking to her but now just the mention of his mother made her feel even worse.

Puck sensed he had stepped into the danger zone, that invisible line men cross and women go ape shit crazy for. Shit, fuck, fuck, fix it you idiot!

"Look, m'sorry," He said. "I wasn't gonna tell anyone but when I came to work and Tina asked if anything new went down last week, it slipped."

Rachel shook her head, as if he could see her, "Noah, it's fine. I told someone this morning and well..." She winced at that thought.

Puck chuckled, "Not the reaction you wanted? Believe me, the gossip spread around here and now, well let's just say a lot of women are disappointed."

Rachel giggled, but then went silent again, "Well I do have a rather embarrassing question."

Puck laughed, "Shoot."

"About the money, when do you think I could receive it?"

Puck clicked his tongue, "Berry, the check's at home, with your engagment ring."

Rachel let out a small gasp, a ring? That she had to wear? Right, I'm engaged.

Puck furrowed his eyebrows, "Rachel?"

She squeaked out a response; Puck then told her Tina would give her directions to his house.

She thanked him and then Tina came on the line; Rachel scribbled out the informmation on a piece of a paper. She thanked Tina and hung up.

* * *

><p>Greñas: Hair<p>

This chapter was actually getting too long and I had to stop it somewhere. So review?


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Hello again! So this chapter is the continuation of ch 5. This chapter was kickin' my butt, mainly cuz, well I've never written smut and this contains quite a bit. Also, I changed the rating, cuz well yeah.

BTW, thanks for the reviews, but most of all to Red Writer for reviewing every single chapter since the beginning, your words are awesome!

Not beta'd, any mistakes are mine.

Disclaimer: Anything you recognize, not mine.

**Chapter 6: Just Give In Already…**

Rachel waited until everyone had left to step out of her office; she quickly gathered her things and closed down.

She decided to walk home instead of waiting for a cab, it was rush hour and getting one would be a nightmare.

Thirty minutes later she was standing in front of her building, she had shoved the piece of paper with Puck's address in her coat pocket; she fingered it and turned back around to flag down a cab.

She arrived twenty minutes later, to the entrance of a lavish building.

A doorman opened her door and greeted her; Rachel thanked him and asked him for Mr. Puckerman's apartment.

He told her to go in and ride the elevator to the 24th floor, on her way in he congratulated her for her upcoming nuptial; Rachel said a curt thank you and made her way to the elevator.

She made it to the floor he lived on; the door opened and was met with a gorgeous living room.

She walked in a few steps and looked around.

"Hello?"

She heard a rustle coming for somewhere inside the house, a door was pushed open and out came a short, middle aged woman wearing a maid uniform.

"Who are you? Doorman no tells me we have visitor," Said the woman. "Mr. Puck not here, he at work."

Rachel bit her lip, "Hello, my name is Rachel Berry. Mr. Puck sent me here."

The woman's eyes opened wider. "Ms. Berry, oh goodness, I very sorry! I Magda; his housekeeper; Mr. Puck no tell me you be here today."

Rachel closed her eyes for a moment, once an actress always an actress.

"Not a problem, I can assure you; Mr. Puck didn't know I was going to come. I just needed to be pick up a few things-"

Magda interrupted her. "I show you his room that is where you will stay. Correct?"

Rachel blushed, his room, of course.

"Correct."

Magda clapped. "Very good, follow me."

Rachel walked behind the woman while she chattered away about Puck; it really was a big apartment, she walked by about a dozen doors before she reached her destination.

She noticed there weren't any pictures or any sign that a family lived there, it made her heart ache for him; he was obviously alone and had been for sometime.

Magda's gentle push into the room pulled Rachel out of her thoughts; she walked in while Magda discreetly closed the door.

Rachel took a few steps and surveyed the room; a king bed was in the middle, his bathroom directly in front, and his closet to the side.

A typical bedroom.

She made her way around the room; her fingers briefly making contact with the bedspread, it was strange, and the last time she was in his room... She quickly shook away from that thought, she moved closer to a desk; she saw an envelope laying on it, her name written on the front.

Rachel's heart skipped a beat; she took a tentative step and reached for it. She opened it; inside was a check, written out for the amount of one million dollars. Tears started to prick her eyes; she sniffed, with this check all her problems would go away.

She sighed; she wiped a tear that had escaped and in doing so, something fell out onto the carpet.

She reached down and picked it up; her ring.

Her breath hitched, her eyes were as wide as saucers; she studied it for a moment, it was beautiful.

A single band washed in white gold and little blue stones shaped into a star.

She gasped; she brought the ring closer and realized the stones were her birthstone.

She placed the ring in her palm; she licked her lips, a million emotions rushing through her.

oo

Puck had come home after dealing with some shit at work, those singers were worse than brats; he had his hands full with babysitting them and dealing with their stupid demands.

One refusing to sing because "the air was too dry" and it could scratch his vocal cords.

Pfft, fuck that noise.

He finished with that douche and called it day.

He walked into his penthouse and saw the dining room set up; he wasn't expecting anyone.

He shrugged his shoulders, whatever, Magda was crazy; she reminded him of his Ma. Both hell bent on seeing him settle down, Magda said he needed a nice catholic girl to marry; when he told her he was jewish, she smiled, "All good husbands convert."

Puck shook his head, what the hell did he do to have insane women in his life? He loved his Ma but sometimes she drove him up the wall with marriage; yeah it would be nice to come home to a home cooked meal, maybe some kids, or at least a dog.

Coming home every night to an empty apartment was getting old.

He yanked the tie off his throat, kicked off his shoes, and started undressing while making his way to his room.

He pushed open the door and stopped when he saw Rachel standing inside.

oo

Rachel didn't hear him walk in and stand behind her, she still had the ring in her palm; he looked at her face and saw it streaked with tears.

He quietly sighed; she really was beautiful.

He noticed she was staring at the ring.

It made him sound like a pussy but he didn't send Tina to pick it out like he usually did when he had to buy gifts.

He had gone to Greenwich Jewelers and looked at rings. He wanted Rachel to have something special, even if it was a fake engagment. He couldn't find any rings he liked so he had hers custom made.

When he went back to pick it up, he couldn't believe how perfect it had come out.

He had wanted to to give it himself but then he didn't; this wasn't him actually getting married, and for some reason that bothered him.

"Ya know, I didn't think it'd be this easy to get you in my room."

Rachel was startled and dropped the ring. Her heart started beating faster, her breathing became shallow; her emotions were uncontrollable around him. She had the urge to turn around a kiss him senseless, but something stopped her, mainly the cons list running through her head.

Puck smirked; he enjoyed the fact that he could make her uncomfortable.

Rachel side stepped him but faced him, it was better to keep things simple.

She wasn't going to get her hopes up just to have things fall apart.

She cleared her throat. "Must you be so vulgar?"

Puck chuckled but smiled. "S'alright, I know you like it."

Rachel let out a tiny smile, her façade starting to crumble and somehow it made her feel lighter, but then Santana popped into her mind, _He's gonna fuck with you. Again._

She shook her head, no use for remorse; all of that flew out the window the moment she accepted his offer.

Puck plucked the ring from the carpet and wrapped his fingers around it; he slowly moved his hand towards Rachel's wrist and clasped his fingers to bring it towards him.

She stopped breathing for a moment, her gaze frozen on his fingers; the heat from his fingers scorching her wrist, her pulse going into overdrive.

Am I having a heart attack? Oh God, my fingers are going numb, I'm losing feeling-

He cleared his throat. "I know it isn't real, but my ma would kill me if I didn't give you a ring. So Rachel Berry, fake marry me?"

Rachel felt her axis tilt, her entire life was waiting for this moment and it was going to be all for show; but it was going to be worth it. Right?

Puck waited for her answer, he knew it was a yes but her accepting this ring would make this a done deal; no turning back. His ma would go bat shit crazy when she'd hear that he was going to get married.

Rachel Berry was THE girl in his ma's eyes, her eyes would light up whenever she heard Rachel's name; even from across a room he could tell.

Rachel finally reacted. "Yes. I accept this ring, I will fake marry you."

Puck slid the ring on her finger; perfect fit. He stepped closer while rubbing her pulse point; he dipped his head and kissed her.

She was startled by the move, but she kissed him with eagerness. Her eyes fluttered closed while his hands wrapped around her waist, pulling her closer. She would never tire of kissing him; his lips were fighting hers for dominance, something she couldn't let go.

He nipped her bottom lip and she relented; his tongue traced her lips before entering her mouth, she involuntarily bit and sucked it, emitting a growl from him.

That gave her more confidence, her hands had been tightly clamped to her side but they came up to his arms feeling the hardness through his dress shirt; she slid them further up, moving closer to his shoulders; her nails digging into them.

His hands started going lower, cupping her bottom; she squealed but didn't stop him. She shuffled with him until she felt her knees bend and felt herself hit the bed; he landed on top of her but placed his arms on either side of her so he wouldn't crush her.

Their lips still fused together, they started furiously undressing; she was wearing a wrap dress that all he had to do was pull a knot. Her eyes flew open when she felt a cool breeze, he was too distracted to notice; his hands pushed her dress off her shoulders and threw it on the floor.

Her rationale was gone when she felt his hands on her breasts, tweaking her nipples. His lips started trailing down her throat, she moaned; he reached the valley between her breasts, her hands pushed his head closer, and her nipples hardened and while smirked; her eyes were half closed and she was panting.

She bit her lip.

"You're too covered up." She whispered.

She gave him a shy smile, her hands skated over his chest and they went further down; she pulled his dress shirt from his slacks and ripped it open, buttons flying all over the room.

She giggled; he let out a chuckle but helped her take it off.

He was wearing a muscle shirt underneath it, and she ran her hand over his arms. He really did have lovely arms.

"Like what you see?" He teased.

She blushed; he noted that it wasn't just her face but that it started at her chest.

Her hands went to work on his pants, slowly unbuckling his belt and unbuttoning them with nervous fingers; he noticed it and he pushed her hands down to do it himself. In a beat he was in his boxers; she looked down at the obvious tenting and relished in the fact that she was the cause.

He brought his hands to her face and softly kissed her; for a moment it was perfect, it almost brought tears to her eyes.

His hands roamed her body again and they stopped at her bra clasp, he searched her eyes for an ok; she gave a slight nod and he kissed her harder. He expertly unclasped and threw it carelessly over his head; she drew a sharp breath when she felt his hands on her breasts.

He marveled the softness of her skin, her smooth tan skin; he ran his hands from her chest to her shoulders all while still kissing her.

She pushed her feet down his thighs catching his boxers and pulling them down to his ankles; he kicked them off and climbed closer to her.

The only barrier between them now was her thin lace panties which he quickly shucked to one side; he slowly dragged his finger down to her core and down her slit, she moaned, he could feel her wetness and he let out a grunt.

"So wet, you like that?" He whispered.

She brought her knees up and that caused his finger to go in her tight sheath; she gasped.

He pumped it in slowly and quickly added another finger; she was so close.

He bit down on her nipple and that pushed her over the edge; she came with a cry around his fingers; stars exploding behind her lids.

He was ready to take her then and there but he held out as long as he could; after she came down from her high she kissed his lips. She wrapped her hand around his shaft and pumped it a couple of times; he grunted, she ran with it and started pumping faster, his dick becoming slicker with his precum. She went faster and faster until she felt him tense and come on her hands. He let out a strangled cry and fell over next to her.

She was panting and she became aware of what had just happened.

He felt her become stiff and he sat up, placing one hand on under his head and the other on her. He was thinking of what to say when suddenly, the door flew open.

"Daddy?"

Review?


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Hello there! I just want to say thanks for your reviews! They really make my day.

Now for the anon who posted about Magda, I'm sorry if I offended anyone, that was not my intention but everyone in this fic is in it for a purpose; she'll be addressed in this chapter.

Bahnannah thank you for reviewing every single chapter! Your words were so kind and very inspiring! Enjoy and review!

Not beta'ed, any mistakes are mine.

Disclaimer: Anything you recognize, not mine.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 7: The Truth Hurts…<strong>

Rachel jumped up from the bed and fell onto her face; it took her a second to realize she was still naked.

Puck grabbed a blanket from the bed and wrapped it around his body.

He quickly ran to the door and slammed it closed.

"Beth, go watch TV!" He yelled through door.

"Ok Daddy!" She answered.

He heard her walk away.

"Shit!" He muttered. He ran over to Rachel who was still on floor but had managed to grab a sheet off the bed and was currently wrapped in it.

Rachel wanted to curl into a ball and die.

Embarassment ran through her body; her hands were covering her face.

God, just smite me. Now!

She heard the door slam shut, she timidly placed a hand on the edge of the bed and slowly brought her head up to look at Puck.

He was was standing on the opposite side of bed, looking at her.

A sheepish look on his face was what jump started her anger.

She made sure the sheet was tightly wrapped before she stood up and pointed a finger at him.

"You have a daughter?!"

He shrugged, "Yeah. No biggie," He answered nonchalantly.

Rachel gaped at him with disgust.

"You have got to be fucking kidding me!" She yelled at him, "How in the hell is that not a big deal?"

Puck was surprised; he had never heard Rachel curse before.

She was infuriated and practically vibrating with rage, he had a child! When did he think that he was going to tell? Was he even going to tell her?

She gripped the blanket harder; collected the clothing she could find and rushed into the nearest open space (away from him) and slammed the door.

The lights were off in the room she had barged into; she felt along the wall until she found a switch, and found she was in his closet.

She dropped the sheet and took note of what she held in her hand; panty hose and her panties. She sighed; she was going to have back out and collect the remainder of her clothes.

She hastily put the two items on and slowly inched the door open; Puck was no longer next to the bed and she could hear a rustling coming from somewhere inside the room.

She tiptoed out and searched for her dress, she kneeled down and looked under the bed; it was rumpled up into a ball.

She grabbed it and quickly threw it on.

She was searching for her bra when she heard a door open and heavy footsteps clamber towards her.

She froze, it was hard to not want to stand up and let her rage do most of the talking, but she continued to search; Puck was in sweatpants and nothing else, standing next to the bathroom door.

Rachel stuck her hand deeper under the bed and found her bra; she stood up and faced Puck, she tried to ignore his bare chest.

He crossed his arms, preparing for the verbal lashing he was about to receive.

Rachel cleared her throat, "I need an explanation," she said quietly. "You have a daughter that you failed to mention."

Puck licked his lips, "I know, but there ain't nothing really to say; she's not gonna bother you cuz I barely see her. She's always at her mom's; I dunno why she's here today."

Rachel could feel rage build up inside, yearning to escape and let it be known. She gripped the bra tighter and shook her head.

"You. Have. A. Daughter! Every child needs their father, to be there, support her, and love her-"

"You mean like yours?" Puck remarked, instantly regretting his words.

She flinched at his words, they stung deeply and she felt her eyes become moistened with tears.

She sniffed gathered her things and walked towards the door; Puck sighed and grabbed her wrist.

"M'sorry, shit comes out before I think."

Rachel was angry but the forlorn look he had in his eyes was sincere.

She sighed.

"I should go; your daughter is downstairs waiting on you. I'm going to Artie's office and giving him the check, thank you by the way; I really am grateful for your help."

Puck let go of her wrist, pulled his robe on and tied it tightly.

Rachel found her heels next to the door, wondering how they got there in the first place. She slid them on and Puck opened the door, guiding Rachel out to the hallway.

They walked into the living room and were greeted to a rendition of "When Will My Life Begin" by Beth, singing along to the blaring t.v.

Rachel smiled, the little girl was beautiful, stunning really; she had long blonde hair, fair skin and his eyes, hazel. She shifted her stance; something about her was familier, she couldn't quite place her finger on it.

Puck looked at Rachel looking at Beth. He saw something in her eyes and quickly realized his mistake. His brain started reeling; Get her the fuck out, now!

He opened his mouth when she walked in. Rachel didn't notice her, too busy being entertained by Beth.

"Well, look who we have here," She sneered. "Rachel Berry. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

Rachel quickly turned around and came face to face with Quinn Fabray; the one person who made it her personal mission to humilate Rachel and destroy what little confidence she possesed.

Rachel gave Quinn an uneasy look; it was hard to ignore the glare she was giving Rachel.

She looked at Puck, then Quinn, and finally at Beth. It took her a second but it clicked; Quinn was Beth's mom and Puck was her dad. Realization hit her hard and all she could do was bolt out the door.

She ran to the elevator and pressed the buttons urgently, begging the elevator to hurry. She could hear Puck calling her name; tears were falling down her face and she was shaking. Anger and confusion were running through her mind; the elevator was taking a long time, so she ran down the corridor and found the door for the stairs.

Puck was behind her, yelling her name; Rachel ignored him and went through the door; she ran down the stairs, (cursing herself for failing to remember that she was 24 stories from the first floor) and made it to the 22nd floor when she decided to take the elevator.

She opened the door and saw the elevator doors closing; she yelled to hold it, a hand popped out and she ran in, leaving Puck to stand and watch the doors close on him. He had still been running behind her and had gone halfway a flight before realizing she wasn't on the stairs anymore; he heard a door slam above him and he ran back up. She had rushed into the elevator and all he could do was stand helplessly.

Rachel stood in the elevator and held herself as much as she could; it was difficult, first she couldn't believe she had gone that far with him, she had been with only one guy since high school and even then they had been together for 2 years.

She berated herself for not having self-control; she realized the elevator had stopped, the other occupant rushed off; she pressed the button for the main floor.

oo

In the apartment Quinn laughed, that was too easy she thought; humiliation was her specialty, but humiliating Man-hands was worth it. Beth was still distracted by the TV and hadn't noticed all of the commotion; she told her that she'd be in the kitchen.

Beth gave no answer; Quinn sighed, just like her wonderful daddy.

Quinn walked into the kitchen, Magda was busy making lunch and when she heard Quinn walk in she spoke to her.

"Good afternoon Ms. Fabray, lunch be ready soon."

Quinn rolled her eyes and stepped up to the island; Magda turned around and gave her a quizzical look.

"Everything okay?"

Quinn didnít nod, "Drop the act Michelle. Mr. Puck is gone."

Magda/Michelle's eyes widened in surprise; she ran to kitchen door and shut it.

"Quinn," Michelle hissed. "Beth could hear you!"

Quinn let out a snort. "Please, she's watching Tangled, nothing's gonna tear her away from that."

Michelle sighed. "How much longer do I have to be here? I can't pretend much longer"

Quinn smiled. "I pay you to tell me what skanks come around Puck and I'll tell you when you're done. Are we clear?"

Not waiting for an answer, she gave Michelle her best HBIC smile and walked away.

oo

Puck walked in just as Quinn was walking out of the kitchen; he glared at Quinn.

"What the hell Quinn? The fuck you doin' here? Thought you were in Italy with what the douche's name."

Quinn gave him a smile, effectively brushing him off. "Beth missed her daddy. I have a photo spread with Elle in few days and we came back early; Sean is still filming there and he'll be back in a week. I never expected to run into ma- Rachel."

Pucks scowled at Quinn; bitch. He sighed, shit of a mess he had gotten into.

Rachel would never forgive him not mentioning his daughter and with who.

He walked to his living room where Beth was playing his Wii. He shuffled over to the couch and sat down; he really loved this little girl, more than his life.

Having her at 17 had been the most difficult thing he could imagine. Quinn getting pregnant had been a mistake, he thought he was invincible; that fucking around and not being protected would never have consequences.

Turns out that only a 17 year old could believe that shit. Beth was proof.

After their parents found out, they were sent away. Quinn to live in Cincinnati with her aunt Linda and Puck to Chicago with his mother's brother, Phillip.

Puck hated Chicago, he ran away from his uncle's house and constantly made his way back to Lima; he tried to look for Quinn but to no avail.

Going to her parents was useless; they had moved from Lima and no one had known where to.

After his 18th birthday he was finally able to leave; he went to Lima and began his search for Quinn and his child. He begged his mom for information but she knew nothing.

He reluctantly tried Quinn's sister, Patricia. She was hesitant; for all she knew he could be plotting to do something to Quinn and her daughter.

Puck had a daughter, a little girl.

Patricia saw all the emotions flicker on his face; he was truly desperate to find the both of them. He might not have loved Quinn but that little girl was his and he wasn't gonna be like that shit of a dad he had had growing up.

Abandoning his family to become a rock star; only to comeback when that didn't pan out, fully expecting to be taken back and act like a father.

Fuck that noise, that bastard was thrown out on his ass and told to never show his shit face again.

Puck didn't want that for his kid.

Patricia finally broke down and told him that Quinn had moved to Akron; her parents had made her give up Beth for adoption but she refused; they had disowned her until her mom had found out her husband had been cheating. She divorced him and taken half of everything; she moved to Akron with Quinn and kept the baby.

Puck jumped up gave Patricia a hug and thanked her; he went Akron and looked for Quinn and Beth; while there he ended up working as a janitor. Not a glam job but it paid the bills; he was there for about 6 months when he happened to run into Quinn who was carrying 10 month old Beth. It was an unexpected but he couldn't have asked for a better moment.

He was in awe of the little girl; so much like him but gorgeous and perfect.

Quinn asked him if he wanted to accompany her home; he agreed and he quickly became involved in both of their lives.

He and Quinn had volatile relationship, she was jealous of the women who gave him too much attention and he was tired of her bitchiness; it was exhausting for them to be together and take care of Beth.

One day Quinn came home excited; she had entered a beauty contest (convinced by her mom- she hated Puck) and won first place. Her prize was a cover for a local paper and that brought an agent who thought that Quinn would make a bankable model.

Quinn signed her first contract when Beth was 3 years old; it was the start of the end. They picked up everything they had and moved to L.A. There Puck enrolled in community college and pursued an easy and short course.

Quinn started modeling for notable magazines and making more money. It was strain on Puck; sure the money was good but he was the man, the one that was supposed to bring in the money.

Night after night Quinn was getting in later and later, Puck was starting to resent the fact the she wasn't taking care of Beth; leaving her with the nanny and disappearing all day. It really hit the shit one day; Quinn had been invited to another party and for some reason had asked Puck to come along, he never went; he hated all those snotty douches'.

He went, only to end up fighting with her for drinking more then she should have. She was being a bitch and he had had enough; he ended things right then and walked home.

On his way a car stopped next to him by the curb and the occupant offered him a ride home; it turned out to be a record producer he had met at the party.

They talked about his life, being a young dad and about music; when Puck told him that he played guitar and sang the guy was impressed. He gave Puck his card to call him for an audition.

Puck debated it for a while; moving from Quinn's and finding his own place was difficult; everything was too expensive.

He contemplated moving back to Lima; he was on the verge of booking his flight when he found the man's card.

He called and was on his way to becoming a singer.

At first it was good, singing about whatever, building himself to be a singer. Then it started to be a hassle; going on tour leaving Beth for weeks on end, and them being bitched to be more mainstream; he got tired of trying to be molded into a pop singer.

He quit.

He still liked the business but not the people.

He had picked up some things and ultimately he became a handler/manager; it was fun to be the asshole, the one who ordered the newbies around.

Be in control and be in charge.

On the other side of the spectrum, Quinn, and her pursuit to plunder his life with useless shit; convince him to be a couple again, sleep with her, and have another kid. The last one confused the fuck outta him, she barely took care of Beth, now 8.

She was bitter; money, fame, fortune, none of it made her happy.

After living in L.A for 5 years he decided it was time to move; a management company had offered him a position with higher pay and benefits.

He left L.A and moved to NYC a month later; he did regret that he'd be away from Beth but it was his job. He worked hard to provide her with everything she could ever want, she was almost 11, and they didn't really see each other as much as he liked.

Things were starting to improve; Quinn was still a bitch but had lately been off his back, she started dating a producer and that seemed to calm her cracked self.

He had gone out of his way to not date, sure he had one night stands; couldn't expect the Puckerone to be celibate. That would be a crime upon itself.

He sighed, Fuck.

He had really fucked up.

oo

Rachel rushed to flag down a cab; it was after rush hour and dark. She managed to get one and make it home 10 minutes. She quickly unlocked her door and ran into her apartment, not bothering to turn on her lights and made her way to her bathroom.

She flicked the lights on and threw her things on the floor; she stood in front of her mirror and studied herself for a moment; her eyes were red and puffy, her hair matted and stuck to her forehead, and broke down.

She cried from frustration with herself, Puck was getting her to do things she wouldn't normally do.

She had always held herself in a high regard with being in control and knowing what she wanted.

He had managed to break all those barriers she had carefully and painfully put up to protect herself.

She cried until she dry heaved and nothing was left; she carefully stood up and turned on the faucet, splashed cold water on her face and sat on the toilet for a moment.

She thought she could do this, without feelings or putting herself at risk, but everything was falling apart and she was becoming someone she had never been.

A shaky sigh filled the room, she placed her face in her hands; I can do this.

She stood up and turned on the bath; she was starting to undress when she heard her intercom buzz. She quickly threw on her bathrobe and pressed the button.

"Yes?"

"Rachel, it's me. We need to talk."

* * *

><p>Review?<p> 


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Another chapter! Yay. Thanks for the reviews, they truly make my day! Anywho, enjoy and please review.

Not beta'ed, any mistakes are mine.

Disclaimer: Anything you recognize, not mine.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 8: Apologies…<strong>

"Please?"

Rachel heard the sadness in Santana's voice; she pushed the buzzer and then ran to her room.

She threw on a pair of yoga pants and a t-shirt; just as she was pulling her hair into a ponytail, she heard a knock at the door.

Rachel sighed. She smoothed down her hair and walked to her door.

She unlocked the door and opened it slightly; Santana was leaning on the door panel, waiting. She looked terrible; her eyes puffy and red, Rachel motioned her in and closed the door.

Santana made her way to the living and sat down on the couch; Rachel sat on the opposite love seat.

She cleared her throat.

"Would you like refreshment?"

Santana shook her head, "I'm sorry."

Rachel's eyes misted with unshed tears; she sniffed.

"I know." She answered quietly. "You're looking out for me."

Santana nodded. "B, you're my best friend; he fucked you up and I can't let him do that to you. Again."

Rachel chewed the inside of her cheek, Santana was right; Noah had broken her.

Why was she doing this again?

oo

"Trust me. Mom and Dad won't give a shit; they're cruising on the Caribbean and won't be back till the end of the month. It's all good."

Santana's 21st birthday party was this weekend and she had decided to have it at her parent's lakeside mansion.

That was the conversation Rachel had had with Santana after expressing concern.

"Only if you're sure San."

Santana hugged Rachel. "Great! B, we have to go shopping. We need new suits…"

A few hours later, they both came in to their dorm, exhausted from the trip. Rachel threw her bags on top of her bed and lay down; Santana kicked their door closed and jumped onto Rachel's bed.

"Shit, I think I bought out the entire store."

Rachel giggled. "San, was it necessary to try on all of the suits?"

"No, but it never hurts to have options."

Santana sprung up and rummeged through one of the bags. She found what she wanted and threw it to Rachel.

"B. This one. Not that one piece. This one will make your hot ass look hotter."

Rachel sighed. No use arguing.

"Very well. As you wish."

The week passed by quickly; Saturday morning rolled around and both girls woke up early to pack. Santana had decided to "borrow" her brother's SUV to drive down the lake; he wouldn't mind, he was away backpacking to find himself.

Rachel made a list of everything they would need for the weekend; Santana rolled her eyes, "I's imperative to be prepared San; one never knows what one needs during an emergency."

They woke up extra early to go to Lima, (pick up the keys and car) back to Columbus, gather their things and be out the door to the lake; the drive took them about 3 hours.

By 11 o'clock they were on their way.

The drive to the lake wasn't very long, about half an hour; they made it to have a late lunch.

By 6:00 people were starting to trickle in, some from Santana's law class and some from Rachel's business class.

By 9:00 the party was in full swing; Santana had somehow gotten a case of vodka and 4 kegs of beer.

Currently she was doing body shots of a girl she barely knew; Rachel had one beer and a shot, the fiasco of her last drunken experience had taught her a lesson.

Rachel rambled around the house, saying hi to people she recognized and acknowledge those she didn't.

She had invited Kurt but he had declined; his dad's girlfriend had set up a family dinner to "meet the family" of her boyfriend.

"Probably check to make sure I wasn't a freak or somthing," Kurt had told her earlier in the week.

Rachel sighed, Santana and Kurt were really her only friends; sad but true.

Rachel made her way to the kitchen; she opened her fridge and found a bottle of water.

She headed out the back door, she wanted to get away from the noise; the lake was a short distance from the house.

She kicked off her flipflops and felt the sand between her toes; so relaxing, she walked further down and saw that someone had started a bonfire.

She got closer and that's when she saw him, Noah Puckerman, sitting on a log and playing guitar.

She stood motionless; she hadn't seen him for sometime now, he had disappeared during junior year, no one had known exactly why.

The rumor was that he had stolen an ATM and had been sent to juvie; later to live with his uncle.

The last time she had seen him was at Temple with his mother and little sister; the following day he was gone.

Now, he looked... Tired, the moon was shining bright and the flicker of the fire cast a low glow on his face; his face was hardened and his eyes closed, he strummed his guitar and he seemed lost in his thoughts.

Rachel's instinct was to slink away and not let him see her, but before her brain could catch up; she found herself walking towards him.

She walked until she could hear him softly sing.

_And I wish there was something_

_please tell me there's something better_

_and I wish there was something more than_

_this_

_Saturated loneliness_

_and I wish I could feel it_

_and I wish I could steal it_

_abduct it, corrupt it_

_but I never can, it's just_

_Saturated loneliness_

She felt his sadnes transcend through the lyrics.

She spoke without thinking. "Noah?" Is everything alright?"

Puck abruptly stopped; he looked up at the girl standing in front of him, Rachel Berry.

He gave her a once over, she was wearing cut off shorts and a thin tank top; hot but he wanted to be alone.

"Go. Away."

Rachel scoffed, "Excuse me for trying-"

"Look, stay, whatever I don't care."

Puck stood up and started to walk away.

He made it a few steps when he suddenly stopped; Fuck, I'm an asshole.

He turned back around and saw Rachel walking back toward a house.

He sighed, shit.

"Wait, Rach."

She ignored him and kept walking; she made it to the spot where her flipflops were when she felt a tug on her arm.

Puck lightly grasped her arm to turn her around.

"M'sorry, I just wanted to be alone."

Rachel pulled free from his grasp.

"I understand; I'm not an idiot. Puck."

He flinched. Puck? She was really pissed.

She slipped her flipflops back on and turned around to face.

"I will leave you then, my presence was unwarranted and I am truly sorry-"

"Berry, too many words."

Rachel held back a smile.

"Noah!" She chastised him for interupting her.

"Look, just stay."

"Are you sure?"

Puck nodded. "Yeah."

Rachel looked back to the house then at Puck. Santana was probably too drunk to notice her gone, everyone else? They didn't care. They were there to to party (and the free beer.).

She nodded. "Ok."

Puck stuck his hands into his pockets and turned back towards the bonfire; she followed him but at a distance.

They walked in an uncomfortable silence; when they reached their destination and sat down on a log that he had managed to drag over.

They sat for awhile in total silence; it became uncomfortable and strained.

Rachel bit her lip, what now?

Puck picked up his guitar, might as well he thought.

He started strumming softly, nothing really, until Rachel started humming.

He could kind of recognize what she was humming so he started playing louder; she started to sing even louder. He finally got into a groove and she started to sing.

_She is everything and more_

_The solemn hypnotic_

_My Dahlia, bathed in possession_

_She is home to me_

_I get nervous, perverse when I see her it's worse_

_But the stress is astounding_

_It's now or never she's coming home_

_Forever_

Puck stopped, Rachel kept singing until she noticed. He raised an eyebrow.

"You know them?"

Rachel nodded. "Daddy loved listening to them after a long day at work. He said they were his stress relievers."

Puck smirked. "Badass."

Rachel smiled. "Very."

They sat in a comfortable silence, until Puck leaned over and kissed her. It took her by surprise but she kissed him back. They kissed until both were out of breath; he caressed her cheek, her skin was so soft.

He nipped her lips and they started kissing again.

He became bolder, he grasped her hips and pulled her towards him; she willingly went. She scooted onto his lap, she was sitting with her legs hanging to one side; he gripped her legs tighter and swung the other one over so both her legs were hanging.

He grunted when her core ground against his bulge, she moaned, that gave him initiative to continue; he grasped her bottom and she moaned even louder.

It was beginning to rain and she could feel the splattering on her clothes. They stopped kissing and it started to pour; she pushed herself off and he stood up, he grabbed her hand and they ran towards his house.

"It wasn't supposed to rain!" She yelled.

He shrugged his shoulders and unlocked the door; he pulled her inside and grabbed her from the waist and she squealed in surprise, he moved a stray piece of hair from her eye to behind her ear.

She bit her lip and looked into his eys; they were dark green with flecks of gold; he smirked and looked at her lips.

He leaned in and kissed her; she gripped his arms and enthusiastically responded. She bit his bottom lip; he growled and they started walking. He pushed her against the counter and she wrapped her legs around his waist; he dumped her on the counter and she made a noise.

She was sitting on a fork; he laughed and threw it to one side.

He pushed her back up; she swiftly took of her tanktop and he licked his lips.

"No bra?" He said in a low voice.

She shook her head. "Too constrictive."

He lay her down and palmed her breast while he peppered kisses on her neck; she sighed and dug her nails into his shoulder.

They took off the remainder of their clothes.

They were both out of breath hours later.

Rachel awoke to the sound of water running; she had a sore back and a fuzzy mind. She lay still for a minute, trying to rememeber where she was.

She sat up and noticed she was lying on a makeshift bed out of couch cushions; a thin sheet covered her naked body. She covered herself as much as she could and went hunting for her clothes; she took a few steps when she came face to face with Puck.

He was wearing only a towel and was rubbing another towel over his hair; she took a step back.

"Berry?"

Puck threw the towel on the floor and just as he was about to talk, his cell phone rang.

He furrowed his eyebrows when he looked at the screen. The fuck?

"What?"

The other person on the phone was yelling.

Rachel thought she heard a woman's voice.

"Fuck! Look, I can't right now. I'll be there tomorrow and-"

He stopped talking.

"Shit! Ok ok fine. Give me an hour; I'll catch the first flight out. Tell her I ain't giving her shit, she's the one who started this fuckin' mess," He gave a dry laugh. "Right, she has the money; thanks for rubbing it in my face bitch! What? No, not you. Listen, I want you to find her and tell her to fuck herself; we aren't married-"

Rachel was pulling her shorts on. What? He was with somebody?

He had fucked her and he had someone? She was shaking, anger and humliation ran through her.

She ran out to the beach, out of breath, she heard Puck call her name. She ran faster to Santana's house; she felt herself start to break down, she opened the door and kicked it closed; she ran into the kitchen.

Santana heard the door slam; she turned around to see Rachel run in and stop.

"B. You ok?"

Rachel shook her head. "H-h-he h-h-as s-s-s-"

Santana placed her hand on Rachel's arms, Rachel practically threw herself into her arms; Santana tried to calm her down.

"Shh. B. Rach, it's ok. Did something happen?"

Rachel calmed down awhile later; she explained everything to Santana.

Santana was pissed and threatened to find him to cut off his balls. Rachel refused, better to forget it and move on.

oo

Santana sighed; this was shit. She looked at Rachel who was biting her bottome lip; she sighed again.

"He has a daughter."

Rachel nodded. "I know," she said softly, "With Quinn Fabray."

* * *

><p>AN: This chapter was seriously kicking my butt, I couldn't figure out how to write this and it really got away from me; and the songs, they're some of favorites. So, please review!


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: I've been getting requests to make a fluffy chapter and I will, but I gotta go through angst first get there. I don't know how long this is going be, I was thinking 25 chapters; who knows! Anyways, enjoy and review.

Not beta'd, any mistakes are mine.

Disclaimer: Anything you recognize, not mine.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 9: Taking Names...<strong>

Santana left after Rachel unsuccessfully calmed her down.

Santana was pissed; Puck was gonna leave her fucked up, again and Santana would be the one left with the pieces, again and it would be her job to try to construct Rachel back.

She hadn't really started talking to Puck until about a year ago; she had to do some campaigning for her foundation and was on her way out the door of a restaurant when she happened to run into him.

She talked to him for bit, caught him up on some of the glee gossip, but stayed quiet about Rachel; she was telling him about her benefit, when a girl; blonde, lanky, and very pretty, came towards them.

Something about her was familiar to Santana; she knew this girl from somewhere.

The girl stopped next to Puck and placed her hand on his arm.

"Dad, Mom's ready to go. She's mad cuz she has an appointment with her stylist in 15 minutes, if we don't leave now she's gonna be late."

Santana's eyes practically bulged out of her head. Dad? Mom?

Puck grimaced. "Damn it, ok. Tell her to gimme a minute."

"Fine, but I'm the one who's gonna have to listen to her bitchin'." She rolled her eyes.

"Beth…" Puck warned.

"Sorry." Beth held both hands up, she opened her mouth but Santana beat her to it.

"Um… Hello?!" She waved her hand in front of Puck. "What the hell Puckerman?"

Puck looked at Santana; who had a confused look on her face, it was clear she wanted an explanation, he blew out a breath.

"Beth this is Santana, an old friend; go with your mom. I'll be right there."

Beth waved a hello and left; she looked back at her. Santana gave her a tight smile and looked at Puck.

"What. The. Fuck."

Santana tried to listen to what he told her, but she interrupted him when he told her it was with Quinn.

"Stop the bullshit. Fuckin' Fabray?" She thought for a moment. "So when you fucked Rachel you were with Q? You are one sick motherfucker."

Puck frowned. Just as he was about to answer, Quinn walked up.

"Puck! I'm late, now you're going to have to explain to Fernando-"

She stopped when she saw Santana, Quinn crossed her arms.

"Santana," said Quinn, with obvious distaste. "Nice to see you."

Santana laughed. "Cut the shit Fabray, I see you have a kid. And with Puck no less. Shit, what the fuck did I step into? Q and Puckerman playing house?"

Quinn immediately went into HBIC mode.

"You are a bitch Santana Lopez, you have no right-"

"Whateves Q," Santana said, rolling her eyes. "Not my fault you get knocked up and now have a bastard-"

Quinn slapped her, surprising Santana; Puck tried not laugh.

"Shut your damn mouth Lopez! You are not allowed to speak about my child that, so fuck you!"

Quinn turned around and looked at Puck. "I'm leaving; Beth doesn't deserve any of this from anyone. Especially her!" She pointed at Santana, who was rubbing her cheek.

Quinn stomped away, furious and on the verge of tears; she grabbed Beth and walked away.

Puck shrugged. "She's right San; you are a bitch. Well gotta go, see ya around."

Santana stomped her foot. "You can't hide from Puckerman!"

That encounter got Santana curious; she looked for any information regarding Puck and his daughter, she found very little but he did have money (which was always a plus) and she found he had an office in New York. She called him a few times until one day he agreed to meet with her.

They had lunch first and Santana kinda sort of apologized; mainly that she called Beth a bastard but not for pissing Quinn, that was always fun.

He took the half-assed apology and told her to shove it. No one talked shit about his daughter.

He left but Santana was persistent; she would call and show up unexpectedly at his office. She slowly wore him down; he finally agreed to meet and she again, kinda sorta apologized.

This time he took it and they stayed in touch. She would see him sometimes for lunch but only as friends; she wasn't going to fall into fucking with him, she was getting too old (shut up) to act like that. Plus, she had an image to maintain, she would never do anything that low to tarnish it.

oo

Santana went home that night and didn't sleep; she paced around her apartment and thought of something she could do. Rachel had made up her mind.

Damn it Puck.

On the other side of town Rachel was also having a restless night; she had found the ring and was currently twirling it around her fingers. After Santana left she had decided to go to bed, she needed to be up early the next morning.

The check was on the desk, she found it stuffed in her purse; it made her jittery to know that her business would be saved, but at the same time nervous about what she had to do to save it.

She sighed, being conflicted was so frustrating; on the one hand she knew she was going to be ok, financially, but on the other, how did she know Noah was not going hurt her?

She flipped over and lay on her stomach; she admired the ring and placed it on her ring finger, it fit, she bit her lip.

Am I in over my head?

Puck was lying in bed; he was pissed at Quinn and at himself, he should have told her and spared her what she had gone through today. He cursed at himself after Quinn and Beth were gone; Beth never noticed Rachel and well Quinn gave him a smug look. Bitch.

He figured that Rachel would call him tomorrow and call the whole thing off, he wouldn't blame her if she did; sure he could be a dick but he wasn't gonna let anything hurt Rachel.

He realized he had feelings for her after he had slept with her, being with her was different; not a bad different, but she made him feel like he wasn't a failure. She didn't see a man-whore cougar chasing Lima loser Puck, but Noah.

That week that they had been a couple in sophomore year was one of the best relationships he had ever had; she talked he listened, she said she was proud of him, and he sang for her.

He had never put effort in anything before, but he found that being with her wasn't that hard; she didn't expect perfection, that it was fine to mess up, that it took sincerity to fix things.

He sighed while he knew he fucked up, he had to think of a way to fix it; the bright side was that she had taken the ring and check, she could've thrown them back at him if she had decided to walk away.

He punched his pillow and closed his eyes.

I got tomorrow, he thought.

oo

Rachel was dancing along to the music on the stereo, she had decided to come in early and do some dancing; her first class was at 10, Kurt was supposed to open and Mike was going to teach but, after tossing and turning all night she decided she needed to distract herself before going to Artie's office to deliver the check.

She was finishing a spin when she heard a door shut closed.

She turned and saw Santana standing, watching her; Santana gave her a small smile.

"Hey."

Rachel smiled. "Hey yourself. What are you doing here?"

Santana walked towards her and sat on a bench. "I stopped by your place. You didn't open the door and I figured you were here."

She looked down at her nails and stared at them for a minute. "Don't do it Rachel."

Rachel sighed and sat next to Santana, she took Santana's hand in her own. "San, please trust me."

Santana squeezed her hand, she shook her head. "You were heartbroken after Puck left, I trust you… Not him; he's a sneaky fucker and I wouldn't put it past him that he'd do a shady move on you. He had a kid for fuck's sake and didn't tell you!" She exclaimed. "How do you know he's not gonna pull shit on you?"

Rachel sighed, she was right. "You're right; he might do something to me. But San; that's a chance I am going to have to take. Please, just, just trust me. Please?"

Santana huffed. "Fine. But if he pulls anything on you, I'm gonna go all Lima Heights on his ass. I don't care that we're not in Lima; I can pull that bitch out. Agreed?"

Rachel gave her a nod, "Very well. I promise."

Santana stood up and smoothed down her dress. "Enough with this sentimental shit, I gotta go; that publicist I hired, Blaine, is going over the PR and I have a meeting with him in-"

She looked at her watch. "20 minutes, so I'll see you later. Listen though, I ain't happy with this; but... I'm gonna trust you."

as thinking 25 chapters;ng be, i

as thinking 25 chapters;ng be, i

as thinking 25 chapters;ng be, i

Rachel stood up and hugged her. "Thank you San, I love you too."

She gave her a bright smile and Santana rolled her eyes. She pulled out her cell phone and dialed a number. She waved bye and walked out the door.

Once outside she spoked in a hushed tone. "I need to talk to you. She isn't going to change her mind. Meet me for lunch."

With that she got in a cab and left. Rachel sighed, thank goodness. She glanced at the clock hanging over the mirror; it read 8:55 she sighed again, time to deliver the check.

She quickly gathered her things and took quick shower in the staff lounge; she was changing when her cell phone beeped, she picked it up and saw an unknown number.

Strange, but she opened the message.

_Rach, I'm really sorry. Lunch? Please._

_Puck_

She bit her lip; she wanted to answer but at the same time erase it. She quickly typed out response.

_How did you get my number?_

She waited for an answer; she slipped on her flats when her phone beeped again.

_I have my ways._

She smiled, of course he did. She thought of it for a moment; she needed to talk to him, he had to apologize and explain things.

_Very well. Shall we meet around twelve o' clock?_

She sighed, might was well talk. They needed to go over things again and find a middle ground. She needed answers and avoiding him would not bring them; she starting packing her things into her bag, when her phone beeped again.

_K_

She rolled her eyes, she really disliked when someone answered like that. She tapped out a response.

_Noah, "k" is not an appropriate answer._

She was closing the door to the lounge when her phone beeped.

_K_

She huffed and was about to answer when her phone beeped again.

_Kidding._

She smiled.

He gave her the address to a restaurant not far from her studio; she agreed and called Kurt to tell him she had a meeting with Artie and would be gone the entire day.

She left her studio and took a cab to Artie's; a doorman opened the door, she walked in and took the elevator to his office.

She walked into his waiting area and didn't see the secretary sitting at her desk; she took a seat a waited for her to announce her.

Thirty minutes later and she was still waiting; she began getting restless, she needed to see Noah at 12 and it was nearing 10:30.

Calculating time in her head she figured it would take 20 minutes to get a cab, about an hour to get to get midtown, but if she took the subway she could avoid the hassle of getting a taxi; she was murmuring to herself and didn't hear Artie come out of his office talking to someone.

"I completely understand; I will do everything in my power to help you, and don't worry Quinn-'

Rachel looked up and saw Quinn Fabray standing next to the desk, she hadn't noticed Rachel sitting; Quinn gave Artie a smile, not a bitchy smile but a real one. She looked angelic and pure; she shook Artie's hand and took a step; she stopped when she saw Rachel, she seemed genuinely surprised and horrified to see her. She walked over to Rachel; Rachel internally flinched, Quinn always had that effect on her.

Truthfully? It sucked.

Quinn glared at her, Rachel held in a breath. Artie felt the tension in the room and rolled away to his office; he couldn't stay and watch the humiliation Rachel was about to suffer because of Quinn. He silently closed the door.

Rachel stood up, she held out hand. "Hello Quinn, how are you?"

Quinn stood in front of Rachel, ignoring her hand. "Rachel. Fine. What are you doing here?"

Rachel bit the inside of her cheek. "Meeting Artie."

Quinn narrowed her eyes. "He can see you now."

Rachel gave her a perplexed look. "I beg your pardon?"

Quinn laughed. "Are you deaf? Artie. Can. See. You. Now." She enunciated each word and rolled her eyes.

Rachel stood still. "I'm sorry, I'm confused. Where's Ruth?"

Quinn rolled her eyes again. "She's on vacation. I'm researching a role for a movie and well, I don't know why I need to explain this to you, but I remembered Artie was a lawyer and I called him. His current secretary just happened to win a trip to Greece for 2 weeks and I am filling in until she gets back. Problem?"

Rachel shook her head. "Of course not. I-I-I need t-to go see Artie. Excuse me."

She rushed into his office and closed the door. Quinn smirked and sat down at her desk.

The storm was looming and Rachel had no idea. This was gonna hit her. Hard.

* * *

><p>AN: I was gonna post Friday but I have a 4 day weekend so I decided to post this today. So until next time!

Review?


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: Here we go... So this chapter was very difficult to type out, some of you don't really like the friendship between Santana and Rachel; this chapter is most defintely not going to improve that. It's angsty- but sorry I love angst! What's life without it?

Anyways enjoy and PLEASE review!

Not beta'd, any mistakes are mine.

Disclaimer: Anything you recognize, not mine.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 10: The Truth Hurts...<strong>

Rachel sat in Artie's office while he looked at the check, he had a surprised look on his face; he held the check in his hands and cleared his throat.

"Rachel, I will turn this into the investor's lawyer right away; but if I may, I'm just a bit curious as to how you were able to attain the money so suddenly?"

Rachel became uncomfortable and chewed on her bottom lip while Artie anticipated an answer; she was at a loss for words.

I made a deal with the devil?

I cannot possibly say that.

She plastered a smile on her face. "While I am very aware that you are my lawyer and I am entrusting you with this… unfortunate obstacle, I am mindful of my rather personal business; not to say I don't ignore the fact that this is a rather delicate situation, but Artie, no, I am not going to say."

Artie bowed his head. "Fair enough; I'll send this right over to the investor's office right away. He won't be expecting it so soon but this should take care of it."

Rachel exhaled, not realizing she was holding it in, and smiled; deep down she was in utter turmoil, she was starting to rethink her actions until Artie handed her a piece of paper. It was a receipt for her check; she gave it a once and pleased with the fact that her studio was saved.

She stood up and thanked him.

She hesitated a bit when she reached the door, having forgotten that Quinn was currently sitting at the receptionist desk; she hated that she was still being intimidated by her, she couldn't help it. Quinn would always hate her without her really knowing why.

She said goodbye to him and opened the door, she peeked around the frame and was relieved to see the chair empty.

"She's gone."

Rachel turned and faced Artie, who had wheeled closer to her.

"I'm sorry it makes you uncomfortable to be around her, but she really needed the job and it'll be only for a few weeks; Ruth left on vacation yesterday and I really needed someone to full in."

Rachel was… Conflicted? She didn't know; Quinn had said she was researching a role but Artie had said different. Who was telling the truth?

She shook her head. "It's your office, I have no say to who your receptionist is or otherwise… I need to go, goodbye Artie."

"Goodbye Rachel."

She walked out and made her way to the elevators, she was waiting for it to come when her phoned beeped. She opened the message. It was from Noah.

_See ya soon._

_Puck_

She became nervous, she was on her way to see him after the disaster at his apartment and well, she was apprehensive of it.

The elevator doors opened, she clambered in and waited to get to the ground floor; she walked out to the curb and hailed a cab. She got a cab and gave the driver the address of the restaurant to him; she was surprised to how quickly she got there.

She got out of the cab and paid the driver; she had made it a little earlier than they had agreed, so she took her time walking in and finding a table.

She asked for the one closest to the window and sat down; the waitress asked her if she wanted a drink, at first she was going to order something alcoholic but she thought that through, instead opting for a glass of water; while waiting she mentally prepared for the conversation.

She was mulling things over when she saw him.

He was waiting across the street to cross it, she involuntarily licked her lips, he looked striking in his suit; a charcoal grey with his crisp white dress shirt, she could see his well-defined muscles bulging against the fabric, she could literally feel those arms wrap around her petite frame and… she shivered.

Rachel, get those thoughts out of your head. NOW!

She took a sip of the cold water, feeling the condensation of it drip down her hand; she wiped the water off of her hand with the napkin and took another sip; she was startled when she felt a tap on her shoulder. She looked up and saw a smirking Noah looking down at her, she stumbled a bit to greet him.

She swallowed before she spoke.

"H-h-hello Noah."

Puck crooked an eyebrow. "Berry."

She motioned the empty chair. "Please. Sit down."

He shook his head but sat down; Rachel looked at the wall avoiding his eyes, she sipped her drink and was about to open her mouth when the waitress appeared. "Welcome, can I get you something to drink?"

Puck nodded. "Yeah, a beer. Thanks."

The waitress wrote it on her pad. "No problem. If you need anything; my name's Kim and here you go," writing something on her pad again and tearing it off, waving it in Puck's face. "Here's my number if you need anything. Anything." Emphasizing the last part.

Rachel narrowed her eyes, while the waitress stood waiting for him to take the paper; Puck had to give her props, she had balls hitting on him in front of Rachel.

Rachel became annoyed and decided to do something about it. She placed her hand on the table, flashing her ring; it had been a last minute thing, but she had decided to wear it; she was engaged now.

Puck laughed. 'No thanks. Just the beer."

He turned his head from her and took Rachel's hand in his, giving it a squeeze; Kim became red faced and hurriedly walked away.

Rachel felt a proud that she had defended what was hers- wait what? She shook that thought out of her head, this was nothing like that; they had deal and she was defending that, nothing more.

She removed her hand from his and placed it on her lap; the other one went under her chin, then back to the table, Puck made a face; he wasn't expecting her to do that.

Finally she spoke. "Why?"

He looked into her eyes and couldn't help but feel his gut clench; he inhaled. "I don't know. It didn't seem important; she wasn't in New York and wouldn't be for a while. I have no fucking clue what she's doing here. I was gonna tell you but not till she came; a few months from now."

He rubbed the back of his neck and his leg started bouncing up and down; Rachel clicked her tongue.

His beer came (brought by another waiter) and he took a swig of it. He gulped and wiped his hand across his mouth.

Rachel handed him a napkin, their fingers came into contact and he felt a jolt of electricity course through his veins. She snatched her hand back and cleared her throat.

"Anything else, like another child? Are you married or are you engaged to someone else? I would rather you tell me now as to avoid being embarrassed from now until this is over."

She said in a tone that made him wince; like when Quinn told him he was nothing and would always be a Lima loser.

She noticed his reaction and felt a pang of guilt; not my intention she thought.

"I'm sorry if I came off hostile but you must understand Noah; it's not easy finding out you have a child and I be in the dark about it. So please, is there anything else I should know before we proceed?"

Puck sighed. "No, nothin' else; Quinn has full custody of Beth and I see her every other weekend and holidays, I don't like it but I gotta take what I can get."

He said it in such a hopeless way that her heart went out to him, she took his hand in hers again and caressed it; he gripped it harder and her breath hitched.

She sighed and spoke in a soft tone. 'I'm sorry. It must difficult to not see her when you want. Thank you though, I just don't want any more surprises to pop up and make this… agreement fall apart. Your mother would not be thrilled; have you told her yet?"

Puck grimaced. "You crazy women? If she knew, she'd be here planning the wedding; she's already itchin' to marry me off to someone in her temple. She's legit cracked, I'll leave her last; I don't need any more crazy. That's what you're here for."

Rachel smiled. "It's been toned down plenty. I realized that I had to settle myself down; especially since well, you know, I ended up going to OSU instead o-of NYADA."

He gripped her hand tighter and gave her a weak smile. They stayed like that until the waiter came back to take their order; they quickly pulled apart and ordered.

They waited in an awkward silence; Puck decided to change tactics and asked her about her studio.

She took a minute to answer; he semi-panicked in his head, of all the things he could ask, that shit was the worst one.

She flicked something off the table and finally answered. "Well it's better now; I gave Artie the check this morning and he said he'd send it right over," she sighed. "I truly hope no other problem arrises. Thank you. You can't imagine how grateful I am to you."

She said the last part with a shy smile on her face.

He turned his head and was going to answer when something, or rather someone, caught his eye.

He looked a little closer and his eyes sprang open; Santana was walking towards them, talking to someone right beside her. She crossed the street and kept walking; he looked over at Rachel, whose mouth was hanging open, and internally winced.

Shit he thought, this is about to hit the fan.

Rachel was dumb-struck, when she happened to look over at the same spot Noah was looking at the last thing she expected was to see Santana walking with the last person she wanted to see.

Rachel became angry and stood up; she stormed out of the restaurant and walked directly behind Santana and called out her name.

Santana froze and aburptly turned around to a red faced Rachel. She looked over at Shelby who had a sheepish look on her face and her hand became a fist.

Santana held up her hands.

"Wait, let me explain Rachel, I-"

"EXPLAIN?" She screeched it so loud, that the people walking around them stopped to stare. She cringed and toned down her voice. "Why are you talking to her!? Shelby?! Shelby?!"

Shelby spoke. "I-"

"WHY ARE YOU WITH HER?" Rachel was breathing hard and tears were streaming down her face. She could feel all her emotions swirl around her body and she couldn't quite grasp what she really wanted to feel.

Anger? Sadness? Jealousy?

Santana looked at Shelby, then at Rachel, and sighed.

"You really wanna know?"

Rachel managed to laugh. "If you could be so kind."

Santana knew she was in some deep shit, this was gonna sting like a bitch. She looked over at Puck standing a few feet behind from Rachel, who also had a confused look on his face.

This is it.

"I've been meeting Shelby to talk to her about you," She stated. "I found out she moved here after leaving Lima and I ran into her one day. She asked me about you and we talked."

"Behind my back? All this time? How? Why? When?"

Santana winced a little at Rachel's somber tone. "If I woulda told you, you woulda gone shit crazy. I'm sorry. But you never talk about her, never mentioned that you met with her after you moved here; she wants a relationship with you. I was trying to help."

Shelby had been staring at Rachel and after watching practically break down she spoke up.

"I'm so sorry Rachel. It's my-"

"NO!" Rachel shouted at Shelby interrupting her; she blew out a shaky breath and lowered her voice, she was vibrating with rage.

"You are not allowed to apologize. You always, always apologize but it doesn't cancel out the fact that you ruin my life. You strip away the little confidence I posses and stomp on any hope I have for us. I am not gonna stand here and take it from you any longer. Why can't you just leave me alone?"

Rachel was crying and Puck placed his hand on her back; she turned around and cried in his shoulder, Puck wrapped her into a hug and consoled her.

Shelby tried to reach out to Rachel, seeing her like that broke her heart.

She let out a few tears and bit her lip.

"I should go now. I'm sorry. I won't bother you anymore. Good-bye."

With those final words, she left. Santana stood motionless and watched her walk away; Rachel cried harder, how was it that someone who supposedly wanted a mother-daughter realtionsip, never fought for her place?

She cried for herself and for the sad fact that Shelby would never be her mom, but just someone that had been paid to give birth to her.

She didn't turn around to watch Shelby walk away; it had been too painful to watch the first and second time, why relive that all over again?

She stood for a while on the sidewalk, with Puck, and cried until she heard Santana whisper her name; Rachel sniffed and wiped her cheek before turning around and facing her.

Santana had tears in her eyes; she didn't really consider the consequences when she started this.

She never meant to hurt Rachel; she just wanted her best friend to have a relationship with her birth mom.

She inhaled sharply when she felt the slap to her face.

Rachel let out a small and gasp drew her hand back quickly; she didn't condone violence but she had done it without thinking.

Puck flinched at the slap; he had seen Rachel mad before, but never like this.

She felt Puck hold her by the waist in hopes that she didn't start a full-on brawl in the middle of the street.

Rachel stood still in Puck's arms, comforted that had decided to stay and take her side.

Santana cupped her cheek while Rachel gathered herself, she opened and closed her hand, the sting of the slap lingering and shook it; she didn't apologize to Santana.

She looked around before she decided to speak.

"What you did was one of the lowest things anyone has ever done to me. You lied, hid things from me. You talked to Shelby without letting me know. I'm so confused by all this. Aren't we friends? I trusted you Santana, with every fiber in my being. You were my sister; you know what I've been through, with my Fathers and now Shelby? What possesed you to speak to her? To form a friendship with someone that wanted to have nothing to do with me years ago? You knew she looked for me when I was 16, but she didn't want me; she wanted a little girl that was defenseless, that would need her. I wasn't that, I was already too old for her. And just so you know, I did meet her once when I moved to New York, but did she tell you that even then she rejected me? She was disappointed I majored in Business and had let Broadway slip away from me. She was anticipating introducing me to directors, producers, anyone in the business that could help be a major star. I never told you that because I knew that you would probably look for her and tell her off."

Puck heard the hurt in Rachel's voice but said nothing. He gripped Rachel's waist tighter as if saying I'm here, I'm not going anywhere.

Rachel paused. Santana was about to say something when Rachel started talking again.

"I truly hope that that friendship you had with her was worth it because ours is done. This time you really fucked up. Don't bother apologizing."

With that, Rachel walked away. Puck had been standing behind her but followed her, leaving Santana alone in the middle of the sidewalk.

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><p>AN: Very minor Puckleberry but next chapter! I promise. Anywhoo, Please review!


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: I'm back! And let me tell you it was difficult to try to get me to actually sit down and type something up, work is being bitch and my inspiration is dwindling once again. I'm trying! Anyways, please tell me what you think!

Not beta'ed, any mistakes are mine.

Disclaimer: Anything you recognize, not mine.

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><p><strong>Chapter 11: Loneliness- The Perfect Companion...<strong>

Santana sipped her drink and refilled the glass a few more times before deciding that calling Rachel again was a good idea.

She stood up and stumbled around her penthouse looking for her purse; wobbling towards the kitchen, she threw her shoes not caring where they landed and looked under the dining table. She grunted when she couldn't find it and walked back to her living room, and squealed when her pinky toe made contact with the foot of the coffee table; she rubbed her toe and sat on the floor.

She started rubbing her temples when she happened to look under her coffee table and saw her purse; she grabbed it and unceremoniously dumped the contents out on the table; she cursed when it wasn't there and kicked her bag into the corner (momentarily forgetting that it was a 5,000 dollar purse) and scrounged around the floor for it.

She was kicking things left and right when she suddenly slipped on a scrap of paper, landing on her face on the smooth tile floor; she let out a groan and knew that tomorrow she would have a bruise on her forehead.

She sucked in her breath and grumbled a bit before pushing herself up and sitting on her bottom; she had tears in her eyes, not from the slip but because she had noticed that, the scrap of paper was actually a letter Rachel had written to her not too long ago.

_Dear Santana,_

_While it may seem silly that I am penning this letter whilst you are in the next room, I have a few things that I would like to make clear to you. One, you are no fool. Two, you love with your heart and soul. Three, I am here for you, through anything and everything. _

_I am so sorry that your grandmother has still not changed her opinion about you, but she is the one missing out, not having you in her life. I don't understand her reasoning towards you, why would she not want a spectacular granddaughter like yourself? You are a successful person, in the professional world as well as the personal. You manage a very lucrative charity and you are one of the youngest business consultants in your firm. _

_Honestly, the woman is being ridiculous (slashed through) unreasonable. I see no reason for her to reject you, being one of the most honest, caring individuals I have ever known. You are not that girl you were in high school, you are a woman now but most importantly, you are my friend._

_San, I love you so much, and I know that we will get through this. No matter the outcome, things will get better._

_With all my love,_

_Rachel_

Santana finished reading the letter and let out a scream.

"FUCK!"

She kicked her things harder and curled into a ball, crying.

She was drunk and bawling, screaming how much of an idiot she was when Kurt walked in.

"Oh honey, you're worse than I had expected." He stated.

Kurt had received a frantic drunk call from Santana in the middle of the night and from what he could gather- which was very little; Santana was having some kind of nervous breakdown.

He was fast asleep when she called- it being 2 in the morning, but he rushed over and made it to Santana's penthouse less then 20 minutes later.

He heard commotion coming from her living room and walked in to Santana curled up in the middle of her kitchen.

Her things strewn everywhere and seeing her living room in disarray made him worried. He thought that maybe someone had hurt her, and felt panic course through him. He looked around but couldn't hear anything, so he felt around for his phone and was relieved to find it in his back pocket; he crouched down and placed his hands under Santana's armpits.

Santana uncurled and hugged Kurt, pulling him down with her. She was muttering incoherently and suddenly she started giggling.

"So stupid, s-s-so stupid. Why? Why? Rach hates me!" She started wailing. "Kurt, she hates me!"

Kurt cringed at Santana's breath; it reeked of alcohol, but sat down with her practically wrapped around him.

"I know. Rachel called me too. I would've gone but I was already here. She's upset with you-"

"She fuckin" hates me!" Santana croaked out.

Kurt shook his head. "I don't think so. She's upset with you and I am too. Santana, why? Shelby? You knew she was a sore spot for her. Santana, honestly!"

He had stopped talking because Santana had started snoring.

He sighed, Rachel had called him when he was in the elevator; she was crying but when he told her that he was going to see Santana she became angry. She told him everything, he couldn't believe it; he explained that he was too far from her and that he would see her first thing in the morning.

Rachel begrudgingly agreed and hung up.

Now, he was sitting in the dark with a passed out Santana, could things get any worse?

oo

**(A Month Later)**

Rachel sighed, the numbers on the paper were starting to blur together and her mind was becoming mush; she rubbed her temples and closed her eyes. She ran her hand behind her neck and tried to massage the kink out.

It had been a long month for Rachel; point blank, it sucked.

Not having the one constant in her life was difficult. Coming home and not being able to call Santana after having a stressful day was starting to dwindle her patience; she wanted to just break down and forgive.

She would hold her phone in her hand and scroll down to Santana's name; one push and- no, no, this was serious; she had done something so shady and pretty much been a traitor that just talking about it was unwelcome.

Kurt had been coming around, hinting that Santana was remorseful and was desperately seeking her forgiveness. Rachel had to bite her tongue; Santana had been a traitor, sneaking behind her back, lying. Everything was starting to fall apart.

Rachel finally got around to telling Kurt about Puck; at first, he was skeptical and concerned that Puck was up to no good. It was hard for him to understand considering that; he hadn't known that they had been in a relationship to begin with.

Rachel tried convincing him that she had been looking for the opportunity to tell him but had never found the right one; that revelation hurt Kurt immensely but he decided to forgive her for that, after all, there was now a wedding to plan and he was going to do all the preparations.

Rachel was apprehensive about letting him plan the wedding since there was no wedding in the first place; she convinced him that Puck's mom was already done with the preparations and was hell bent of being in charge. Kurt didn't like it but he went along with it anyway, no point in fighting someone who could easily kick his ass.

But today, all that would be on the back burner, because today was her first official date with Puck; he had insisted on one and wasn't taking no for an answer.

He had insisted on dinner, and then they could do something after; she was flustered; it had been a long time since she had been on date. Normally she would call Santana and they would take a spa day, go shopping, then go home and get ready.

She was leaving her apartment and was about to dial Santana's number when she remembered; she shook Santana from her mind and made an appointment anyway.

She called Kurt to tell him that she'd be off for the day, when he pressed her for information; she simply explained that she needed a mental health day.

She left for the spa and was back a while later, she had gone dress shopping and opted for a light blue sheath dress that hung slightly above her knees, short but not obscenely short.

She got home and quickly showered; Puck had told her that he would pick her up no later than 7 o'clock and emphasized that he always came on time. (Making her blush with his double entendre.)

She was putting the final touches to her make-up when her doorbell rang, she smoothed her dress once more and took a deep breath; ready or not, this is happening.

She gave a quick glance in the mirror and walked to her living room, she let out another breath and flexed her fingers nervously; she took a hesitant step and turned the knob.

Puck stood to one side of the doorframe, his elbow and forearm leaning on it; he had a smirk on his face and his eyes gave her a once over.

"Hot," He murmured.

She blushed and felt her blood boil with lust. Damn these hormones, she thought.

She wet her lips.

"Hello Noah."

He tipped his head in response. "Berry."

She opened the door wider and let him in; she closed the door and walked slowly behind him. They made it to the living room and he sat down.

"Would you like anythi-?"

"Take the dress off." He interrupted.

Her mouth flew open. "W-w-what?"

He chuckled.

"Take. Off. The. Dress." He said very slowly, enunciating each word.

She stood motionless, perplexed but horrified. Was he serious?

Puck saw the emotion across her face and laughed.

"Berry, not like that. That's something we'll do another time. We aren't going to go eat at some fancy restaurant. Go change."

Rachel scoffed. He laughed again when she stomped her foot.

"Noah, you could have said something! I went to all this trouble-"

"Just change. I hate those stuck up asses' restaurants. We're gonna do something else. 'Sides, that dress would look better on my floor. Dontcha think?"

He said the last part while wiggling his eyebrows up and down. Rachel felt pure unadulterated lust course through her veins; her face became warmer.

"You're incorrigible Noah," She looked over herself and sighed. "I specifically bought this for our date; pray tell, what am I supposed to do with it?"

"Return it, duh." Puck smiled then smirked. "Put some jeans on. That's all I'm tellin' you."

Rachel rolled her eyes, turned around, and walked to her room. She slammed the door shut and grumbled under breath while looking for a pair of jeans.

She slammed her drawers closed and went back to the living room when she was done.

Puck sat at her bar, flipping through something and hadn't noticed that she walked back into the living room; she inched closer and saw that he was looking at a yearbook.

She noticed him tense when he looked at a picture of her and Finn, strange.

She tapped him on his shoulder; he quickly closed the book, and turned around.

"You ready?"

Rachel nodded. "Are you o.k.?"

"What? Yeah, yeah, um, but- never mind let's go."

Rachel furrowed her eyebrows, "Very well. Let me grab my things and we can leave."

He stood up and went to the door; they both walked out and down the 3 flights of stairs; Rachel took cautious steps behind him.

Puck pushed open the front door and stopped on the steps.

"We're walkin'."

She rolled her eyes. "How chivalrous, could you at least tell me where-"

"Nope," He gripped her hand. "I got everything under control.

He grabbed her hand tighter, she didn't pull away, and they walked a bit while chattering about nothing; it felt right and natural.

He talked about his day, he was trying not to kill the new artist he was managing (the little shit was only 16 and acting like a big shot) and she told him about the horrible day she had had while at work; a mother had made her day hell because her daughter hadn't gotten the lead in a dance show they were starting rehearsals for; she demanded to speak to her and it just went downhill.

Ultimately, she pulled out her daughter and Rachel felt awful for the little girl, she was only 10 and her mother was a monster; nothing was good enough when the little girl was a decent dancer.

She sighed. "She reminds me of my dad's, I was never going to be good enough even if I had made it on in Broadway," She shrugged. "I guess they were right, I'm still not anyone special; I barely qualify as a dance teacher."

He stopped walking and faced her.

"Fuck 'em. You're a damn good dancer and a better than any of those fuckers. You fuckin' made it in New York without them and you're going strong. Rach, you're someone that did it and seriously, just fuck 'em."

She smiled, "Thank you Noah, even with that profanity laced speech, and I know you're right. They steered me the way they wanted me to go and I wasn't happy; but I realized that maybe trying to become famous wasn't going to happen to me. I just guess that they forgot about me, I haven't talked to them in a very long time; I don't know how they're doing."

Puck sighed. "I'll talk to Ma, she would know. Crazy bat would go to the ends of the earth- you know what, scratch that, if she found out…"

He shuddered. "I'll see what I can do."

Rachel's eyes glittered with unshed tears, she sniffed. "You would do that? I have never asked anyone and no one has ever offered. Thank you Noah."

He swiped her cheek when a lone tear made its way down. "S'no problem."

Her smile was so bright that his heart clenched, he was so desperate to kiss her; she bit her lip, feeling shy all of a sudden.

He gently pulled her closer, she could see his eyes turning a darker green; the gold flecks becoming brighter, hypnotizing her; she inhaled and closed her eyes. Puck took that opening and brought her closer; kissing her lightly on her lips.

She willingly responded, and sighed in his mouth, he took the opportunity to slip his tongue in her mouth; she seemed surprised but continued.

He pulled her hips closer to his and nibbled on her bottom lip, eliciting a small moan from her; he growled into her mouth and pulled her even closer. He liked the feel of her soft body against his, he wrapped both arms around her tiny waist and she placed both of her hands on his chest.

She ran her hands over his chest then onto his arms, she really liked his arms; something about them being wrapped around her made her feel safe and protected. She then ran them over his arms then his broad shoulders and back down to his chest, she stopped when she felt his heart, it was beating fast, she could feel the thumping against his chest.

He wanted to open his eyes but they felt so heavy, he was slowly losing himself in the little noises she was making; the mewls, moans and throaty sounds that sent all the blood straight to his dick.

Meanwhile his hands had traveled down south when she suddenly squealed and regrettably pulled herself away from him; he wiped his mouth on his sleeve and watched Rachel blot her fingers over her lips.

She was flushed and breathing hard, he was too but she was becoming embarrassed and self-conscious on the fact that she had participated in PDA in the middle of the street, with people watching!

She pressed the back of her hand to her reddened cheek and took a shaky breath; Puck ran a hand through his hair and smirked.

"S'okay, the Puckerone is resisted by no one."

Rachel snorted. "The Puckerone? I shouldn't have kissed you-"

"Why not?" he said, with the hurt evident in his voice. "You aren't a prude… Are you?"

Rachel became angry, "I resent that! In no shape or form, am I a prude!" She spat out the last part and huffed. "This was not a good idea. We aren't really together in the first place, I shouldn't have-"

"You backin' out? He stepped closer and stuck out his finger. "You can't, we have a deal. I gave you the money; now you owe me."

Her eyes narrowed "What are you insinuating?"

Puck started to get angry. "Nothin', but you know what you owe me."

She let out a crude noise. "Sex? That's it isn't it?" Her voice had been a whisper but was gradually getting louder. "You gave me money so then I would have sex with you. That was our deal. Fine."

She stepped back and took off her jacket. "If that was our deal, then let's get this over with." She threw her jacket on the floor and unbuckled her belt; she unzipped her boots and kicked them to the side.

Puck immediately grabbed her wrist. "What are you doing?" He hissed.

She pulled herself free. "You want us to have sex! In front of all these people. That was I won't owe you anything anymore and we can be done with this! Isn't that what you want?"

Before he could answer, she tried to continue undressing herself but he grabbed her things and pulled her into her building.

She fought with him, trying to pull her arm from his grasp; she tried to let herself fall but he gripped her harder. He snatched her keys and opened the door.

He was able to hold the door open with his foot and pulled her in.

Meanwhile she kept trying to pull herself away.

"Let me go, I'm not going anywhere with you! Let me go! I'm not going back in there!"

She dragged her foot and attempted to kick him but he managed to grab her waist and hoist her over his shoulder. "NOAH! PUT ME DOWN!"

"No, you aren't gonna- Come back here! Dammit Berry, I won't – stop trying to bite me!" He ran after her when she somehow managed to squirm herself off him.

She weaved around him and ran up her stairs; she was on the second step as he bounded behind her.

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><p>So? Please tell me what you think, I'm not gonna lie, next chapter will probably be up in a few weeks; having to really sit down and try to type this out is kicking my ass but I'll try!<p> 


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: Sorry for the delay. Writing is happening so much slower because of work but in trying! But here ya go!

Not beta'ed, any mistakes are mine.

Disclaimer: Anything you recognize, not mine.

**Chapter 12: Maybe…**

Puck saw it happen before she did, she tripped on the sixth step and fell backward; he lunged forward and caught her before she could hit the ground.

She let out a scream and braced herself for impact, she anticipated the pain and became confused when she felt something soft under her instead of the hard ground; she opened her eyes and turned her head only to come face-to-face with Noah.

His eyes were closed and his breathing was shallow, she flipped over onto her chest and slowly pushed herself up.

Puck didn't move or make a noise; she pushed herself up and ran hand over his brow. He twitched but made no other movement; she became frightened and lightly shook him.

"Noah," her voice quavered with fear. "Noah, wake up. Please."

She shook him a little harder but he didn't move. She felt panic start to invade her senses and she carefully sat on his chest; she inched closer and took a long deep breath.

She poked him in the ribs but still nothing; she felt her eyes prick with tears and a lump start to form in her throat.

I killed him, OH MY GOSH I killed him!

She stood up and frantically looked around for her purse, she glanced down at Noah who was still in the same position on the floor and choked back a sob. She bent down and saw a strap under him, she tried to push him to one side but he didn't budge; she pushed him harder and he moved, just an inch.

She was going to go find some help when she heard a cough then a croaky, "Geez Berry," and immediately bent down to check him over.

Puck seized the opportunity, grabbed her wrist, and pulled her on top of him.

She shrieked, "Noah!"

Puck ran a hand over her slender frame and pulled her closer.

"You done?" His voice a husky whisper.

She nodded, "You terrified me," a lone tear ran down her cheek. "I thought you were really hurt."

He felt like shit, "M'sorry, I didn't think. I wanted to uh... Not to be rude, but shut you up."

"Noah!" She chastised, "Something else would have worked, n-not you pretending to be hurt!"

He stood up and helped her to her feet. She sniffed and tried to clean herself up as best she could.

She was wiping her hands on her jeans when she felt wetness on them; she looked down and saw blood. She gasped just as Puck let out an "aw shit." And noticed a tear in the arm of his dress shirt; blood was seeping through the fabric and a nasty looking gash peeked out from under the blood.

Rachel tugged his arm and jogged up the remaining flights to her apartment; she ran to her bathroom and found her first aid kit.

Puck stood at her door looking dumbly around; she practically dragged him to her living room and pushed him onto her couch.

"Rach," he tried to coax. "I'm fine-"

"Noah, it could get infected," she tried reasoning. "I need to clean and bandage it up."

He sighed, no use trying to change her mind. He unbuttoned his shirt instead of rolling up his sleeves; he hissed when a cotton ball was pressed up to the cut.

"Oh, sorry. I should've warned you."

He grunted in response, he bit the inside of his cheek to keep from making noises of pain. He was a badass after all.

He turned his head over and saw Rachel biting her lip; her brows furrowed in concentration. She looked hot, her cheeks flushed a pretty pink, and her eyes a deep chocolate brown.

She turned to rummage for a bandage, ignoring the feeling of being stared by Noah. She bit her lip in trying to open the package, her hands were shaking a bit; she didn't know whether it was nerves or from being frightened.

He noticed that she was just shuffling things around; he sighed and flicked the cotton ball at her. She gasped and wrinkled her nose.

"Noah, gross!"

He laughed. She let out a giggle and tried swatting his hand away; he grabbed her arm and pulled her closer to his chest. Her body stiffened at the contact as his hand wandered up her back; she felt the tips of his finger run softly around her hair.

She was frozen in his grasp; her senses were becoming obscured by the hot, coiling feeling starting from somewhere inside her body.

Faintly, she could here some noise in her brain going off, a buzzing; she was going to ask but Puck licked his lips and leaned forward and kissed her lightly. He kissed her softly but demanding her to let him in.

She deepened the kiss after a few moments, letting the stuff fall on the floor with a loud crash; the noise not bothering them.

He pushed her back onto the couch without breaking the kiss; she wrapped her arms around him, liking the feeling of him pressed up to her body. The hardness of his chest on her, he growled into her mouth when her nails started to dig into his shoulders.

He brushed his hand across her back and went straight to undressing her; the contact of his hand on her bare stomach made her muscles quiver with want. He managed to pull off her shirt and unbutton her jeans when she stopped him.

He stopped kissing her but when she grabbed him by his collar and growled "I'm not the only one getting naked." And quickly got him undressed.

He could barely hold himself together as he finally sunk into her.

Rachel rubbed her sore neck, thinking that waking up on the floor was not the way to go; she had woken up in a tangled mess and Puck fast asleep next to her.

At the moment she was standing, wearing only his button down shirt, in her kitchen eating a waffle. She chewed methodically, watching Puck grumble in his sleep.

She swallowed the remaining bits of her food and took a sip of her orange juice. Puck still lay on the floor asleep; she placed her dirty dishes in the sink and tiptoed to the living room.

She bent down and curled into Puck's side; she inhaled his scent and closed her eyes. She let her mind wander for a bit, she was thinking about the reasons she had let him in. She had to wrap her mind around the fact that she needed him and he was no longer just someone she could walk away from, she felt something for him and it honestly wasn't scaring her.

What scared her was the fact that he didn't feel the same, he could easily walk away and forget all about her. She had gone through that once already and it was the worst. She tried to repress the angry feeling she was getting in remembering that he was the one that had caused those feelings.

She sighed again, that was the past, he had changed but…

It was strange, the "deal" they had was being forgotten and something more was beginning to blossom between them.

She tipped her head back, his arm behind her neck and sighed.

She thought back to that day, after she had slept with Noah at his house; sure she'd been with someone else after breaking things off with Finn, but they had been together almost a year.

She thought back to how she felt, how just a single touch could pretty much turn her on and he be the only one to satisfy her.

She blushed, trying hard to feel nothing but it was difficult to ignore the chemistry they obviously had. Puck brought out the closeted sex kitten in her; he made her want to give as much as he gave and it didn't feel wrong. She blushed again and giggled; it felt so, so good.

She looked over at him sleeping and bit her lip, he looked so peaceful but she wanted to She moved closer to him and kissed his neck; he stirred and sighed but didn't open his eyes. She peppered kissed all over his neck, down his bare chest; she went further down and trailed over his stomach, feeling his muscles clench and his breath suddenly hitch.

She kept going further down until she reached his belly button when his hands came down and grabbed her to kiss her furiously.

He moaned into her mouth and pulled her on top of him; didn't pull away. Her sounds were driving him crazy; her reactions turned him on-

He moaned again, she was grinding herself on him and could feel how wet she was.

"You wet for me baby?" He grunted out. "Come on, I wanna be inside-"

His cell phone rang.

"Shit."

He sat up, pushed her hair away from her face and kissed her forehead.

She let out a frustrated sigh. He grabbed a pillow and covered himself (best he could), while she wrapped herself in a throw that had been on her couch and listened to Puck's agitation.

The phone was still ringing and Puck couldn't find his pants; it stopped ringing for a second just to start again. He couldn't figure out who it was, the ringtone wasn't one he had set.

He finally found his jeans thrown over Rachel's lamp after listening to it ring a few more times.

Whoever it was really wanted to talk to him.

He grabbed his jeans and shook them, the phone landed with a hard thump; he picked it up and tapped on it to see he had 8 missed calls.

He furrowed his eyebrows when he couldn't recognize the number, he got even more agitated when he couldn't recognize any number in his phone.

All the numbers had "guess who?" as contact names and a question mark as their pictures. He huffed, fuckin' Blaine!

He had left his phone the night before at Blaine's place the night before and Blaine had given it to Puck that morning at the studio.

Payback's a bitch, isn't it? Read a text from the only name in his phone. Blaine's.

Fucker.

He threw his phone back on the floor and went back to Rachel who was sleeping; she was wrapped in a blanket and snoring lightly.

He was about to wake her up when the phone rang again. He groaned, shit.

He got it before it woke Rachel up and gruffly answered.

"Who the fu-"

"Noah Puckerman, finish that sentence, so help me God!" Screeched a voice.

Puck groaned into the phone, "Ma!"

"Ma? Ma? That's all you have to say after a month of not hearing your voice?" She sniffed. "Does it matter that I'm getting older and my health is deteriorating? That I need more care because my only son is on the other side of the country-"

Puck grimaced, "Lay it on thick will ya? Geez, Ma I talked to Ada last week-"

"Don't dare tell me it's my fault Noah!" Shrieked Ruth. "I only ask that my baby boy have the decency to call and tell me that he's not laying in a ditch somewhere, who knows how I would find out if you don't bother to call. And now, especially now, when were you going to tell me? You didn't think I would find out, did you? After everything I have done for you, gone through because of you and you don't tell me! My baby boy is going to get married and I have-"

"Who the fuck told you that?" Puck interrupted.

"LANGUAGE!" Ruth yelled. "That's all you can say! No denial-"

"Ma, who told you? Shit."

Ignoring his remark, Ruth sniffed again.

"That shiksa called me this morning to inform me," Ruth humorlessly laughed.

"Fu-"

"Noah..." Warned Ruth.

"Listen, I gotta go. I'll talk-"

"Don't you dare hang up on me! You have a lot to explain Noah Puckerman! Y-"

"Bye Ma."

He turned hung up and for good measure completly turned it off.

"Damn psycho," Puck muttered under his breath.

He turned to look at Rachel who was still asleep and threw his phone back in the floor; shit, shit, fuck.

His mom knew and that fuckin' bitch, Quinn. He wondered how she knew, the hadn't told anyone. At least not him, Rachel on the other had. Who knew.

Quinn was always pulling some stupid shit and putting her nose where it didn't belong. FUCK!

He heard a moan and quickly looked over at Rachel who was stirring from her sleep, she sighed and he licked his lips at the sight of her red pouty lips murmuring his name.

He let out a sigh.

He was fucked, his mom was going to show up unannounced and screw everything up.

Damn Quinn and her big fuckin' mouth. She always fucked things up; their relationship, all of hers, Beth and his. She was just so angry that Puck had had enough, for her it would've been better if they had gotten married.

She kept pushing him to get married, saying that it would be better for Beth; to have a united family and Quinn have the Puckerman name.

One night things had gone too far.

"Fuck Q! No, we are **not** gonna get married. Shit, just drop it!"

Quinn let out a scream.

"Puck! We have to! Beth needs us together, don't you get that? Plus, it would look better for me. The agency is going to flip when they find out I have a child, more so out of wedlock!"

Puck gave her a stunned look.

"The fuck? You haven't told them? What the fuck is wrong with you?"

Quinn sighed and rolled her eyes.

"Don't be so dramatic, I didn't deny her. I just... Didn't say anything. They haven't asked me about-"

Puck walked out. The next day he moved out to his mom's lake house.

He sighed and laid down next to Rachel; he ran his hand over her arm, he loved the feeling of her smooth skin under his finger tips and the faint smell of her coconut bodywash.

He ran his hand faintly over her exposed collarbone and decided to have a little fun with her.

He turned to his side and hovered over her; he kissed her collarbone and slowly made his way down to her covered chest.

She stirred. He stopped but when she moaned his name he couldn't resist himself.

He kissed the skin above her boobs, drew a line over each of them and slowly tugged down the blanket. She squirmed a little under him but didn't open her eyes.

He tugged it further down and slowly swirled his tongue over her nipple, he could feel it become harder under his tongue. She let out a small moan and he tenderly bit one, as soon as he did he felt a hand push him closer to her chest.

He looked up and saw Rachel's pupils become chocolate orbs, she pushed him closer and bit her lip.

He moved to the other one, threw the blanket to one side and pressed a kiss to her stomach, feeling her muscles clench.

She shivered and watched him move further down, her breath hitching as his tongue drew a line from her bellybutton down to her neatly trimmed core. He licked his lips at the sight of her juices dripping down her thigh and he licked a line with his tongue, torturing her with his slow ministrations.

She clasped her eyes closed as he approached closer and closer.

Then out of no where, "Oh My God! I-I-I'm so sorry Rachel!"

And then footsteps running out and the door slamming closed.

Like it? Hate it? Review please!


	13. Chapter 13

A/N: Next chapter! Please enjoy and review!

Not beta'ed, any mistakes are mine.

Disclaimer: Anything you recognize, not mine.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 13: Once and for all...<strong>

"I'm going to kill myself, I-I am-"

"Babe, no you won't. S'ok, that guy'll be fine. I don't think he saw anything, he left kinda fast."

Rachel laid on her bed, her comforter pulled over her face and Puck laying next to her; trying to get her to look at him.

She muffled a scream into her pillow and tried to kick him.

He laughed, "Babe, calm down. What's he gonna say? 'Sides," He slid his hand into the comforter onto her leg. "I think the bed is much more comfortable than the floor."

His hand ran up her leg, gripped her thigh and squeezed it.

"Noah," she breathed out. "He- uh?"

His fingers ran a line near her core and was driving her insane.

Just as he was about to dip his finger in, she grabbed his hand, pulled him up and wrapped her arms around his bare shoulders.

She threw the comforter onto the floor and manvered him around so she could straddle him; he kissed her neck and pulled her (his) shirt up over her head.

She ran her hands down his chest and cupped his cheeks to give him a kiss; he responded with enthusiasm.

She pulled back and looked into his eyes, "I think I like you, you know?"

Her heart clenched at that admission.

His heart fluttered a little. Pussy. He grinned, "I think I like you too. Want me to show you?"

She laughed, "Hmm, tempting."

He growled and flipped her over.

They emerged hours later.

oo

Rachel held the phone in her hand, her finger hovering over his name; she knew she had to call and apologize.

She had forgotten that he was going to her place and look over the final plans for a showcase that Kurt was going to hold later that week.

She sighed, Daniel was probably thinking the worst of her.

After coming to New York and not knowing anyone or having anyone to help her, he was the one person she had met upon her arrival.

Kurt had introduced them.

He wasn't exactly her friend, they did go out a few times but the spark wasn't there.

He helped her when she needed an opening act for her first recital, he came with a few of his friends from NYADA and performed an act from Rent.

From then on whenever she needed something for a performance, he would help her.

"Just helping out a friend," is what he would say whenever he would help her.

She clicked her tongue and decided to not call him, she would see him later in the coming weeks; his dancers had a rehearsal and she'd see him at the studio.

She turned her phone off and focused back to the numbers on the paper.

oo

**A Month later**

Puck rolled his eyes for 5th time that evening, listening to his douche boss talk about shit he didn't really give a crap about.

It was a Friday evening and instead of being at home, spending some time with Rachel, he was sitting at a work meeting and listening to his boss go on and on about whatever.

He leaned his head back and thought about Rachel, the last few weeks had been really really good; he would go to work come home and she would be there.

She would cook and they would have dinner, it was nice to come home and have someone there, not to cook or clean, but to have company and enjoy their time together.

He rolled his eyes at Blaine and made the choking motion with his hands.

"Puckerman! Anything you want to add?"

Puck quickly nodded his head, "No, just massaging my neck."

"Very well, meeting's over. Go home!"

Blaine stood up, trying to stifle his laughter and Puck slapped him on his back. Blaine started choking and glared at Puck.

Puck laughed, "See ya!"

He was walking out when his phone rang, he saw his Ma's name and hung up. He started walking when it rang again.

Damn his life.

But when he saw Rachel's name he answered.

"Hey babe, yeah I'll be there in a bit." She said something, "Yeah, leaving now. Ok, bye."

Blaine smirked, "Whipped!"

"Fuck no, she just cooks some badass food, and fuck you dude. I have a woman who likes to cook for me-"

Blaine pretended to gag.

Puck punched him in his arm and left.

oo

Rachel was taking out her baking dish from the oven when she heard the lock turn, she quickly placed the hot dish on the table and threw the pot holder on the table and ran to the door.

"Noah!" She squealed out. "You're home!"

Puck dropped his stuff on the floor and hugged her.

He inhaled and got a whiff of the baked spaghetti in the kitchen, his stomach growled.

"Oh my gosh! You're hungry, come in and sit down to eat!"

She grabbed his hand and led him to the kitchen, she sat him down and started preparing him a plate; all the while chattering about nothing.

She flittered around the kitchen, pulling out garlic bread and made her own plate.

Soon she sat at the table with him and asked him about his day.

He was telling her about that little shit he was working with when the doorbell rang.

Many times.

Puck frowned, "Are you expecting someone?"

Rachel shook her head, "No, are you?"

Puck shook his head but got up and got irritated when the doorbell wouldn't stop ringing.

"Hold your fuckin' horses, I'm comin!"

He opened the door and quickly closed it. He turned and pressed his back into the door.

"Shit, shit, shit-"

"NOAH PUCKERMAN OPEN THIS DOOR!"

Puck slowly turned and opened the door.

"Ma."

Ruth Puckerman stood at the door, arms crossed and glaring at him.

"Ma? After all this time that's all you have to say? I come all the way from across the country to visit my baby boy and all I get is that? No, Ma! How are you? I miss you-"

Puck groaned, "Ma, chill out with the dramatics."

Ruth huffed, "At least Ada has the heart to tell me about her life, talking to you is like pulling teeth-"

"Like she has a choice," Puck muttered.

She smacked his head.

"Fu-"

"Try me," Ruth warned.

Puck didn't have time to argue because Rachel walked up just as he pulled his Ma in.

"Noah? Who was-"

"Rachel!'"

"Mrs. Puckerman! What a surprise!" Rachel yelped out, "I wasn't expecting to see you."

"Apparently neither was Noah, who has a lot of explaining to do." She thought for a beat, "Actually, both of you do."

Rachel bobbed her head, "Please come in, I think it'll be better if we sit down."

oo

An uncomfortable silence filled the air, Ruth sat on the opposite side from Rachel and Puck; they both kept giving each other nervous glances and looking over at Ruth.

She cleared her throat and picked at loose thread on Puck's couch.

"Well?"

Puck shrugged his shoulders, "There isn't really anything to say, we've been together for a while. I asked her to marry me, she said yes. End of story."

Ruth narrowed her eyes and looked over at Rachel, "Rachel?"

Rachel gulped, "Yes?"

"Are you pregnant?"

Rachel sputtered out, "W-w-what? N-n-no, no! Of course not."

Puck jumped to her defense, "Ma! That ain't the deal- I mean, no! What, don't you think I learned my lesson?" Obviously talking about Beth.

"Now Noah, that wasn't what I meant," She looked at both of them, their hands clasped. "But wouldn't an unexpected wedding bring questions? Everyone I've talked to had no idea the two of you were even in a relationship."

Rachel looked at Noah, "I understand your concern, but believe me; we've been together almost a year. Our wedding is in 3 months, we got engaged 3 months ago; what is so difficult to unde-"

Puck inturrupted, "Ma, I thought you'd be blowin' your shit that I was marrying a jewish girl-"

"Noah!" Admonished Ruth, "Bubala, don't take this the wrong way." She sighed, "After everything that happened with that sh-Quinn, I want you to be careful. Rachel, this isn't me rejecting you. I love you like a daughter, but marriage is a big commitment."

Rachel looked at her with a sad expression, if only you knew.

Ruth stood up and hugged them both.

She sat down, "I talked to your fathers' Rachel, they are very surprised to say the least."

Rachel's eyes went wide, "You told them? No, no, w-why? T-they-"

She stood up, she had trouble breathing and put her hand on her chest.

Puck jumped up, "Babe! You ok?"

Rachel nodded her head, "I d-don't f-feel w-well, I-I-"

Before she could finish she fell to the ground.

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><p><strong>AN: Originally a way longer chapter but my slow self accidentally saved the wrong file, needless to say I had rewrite the entire chapter that took me a few days to write in just 1.**


	14. Chapter 14

A/N: Can I just say that I am really sorry? I tried so hard to work on this but being on the med made me so nauseous and light headed all the time.

But I am on the road to recovery and getting better every single day. Thanks for the reviews and wonderful PM's from all of ya'll!

And a lot of you are going to be disappointed so be warned!

Not beta'ed, any mistakes are mine.

Disclaimer: Anything you recognize, not mine.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 14: Getting ready…<strong>

Rachel pushed the door open, grimacing at the person in front of her.

"Keep making that face, it'll give you premature wrinkles."

Rachel bit her lip, walked slowly straight to Kurt, who was standing against the counter holding 2 coffee cups and a bag of pastries; he handed her a cup, while taking a sip from his own.

Rachel sighed and blew into hers before taking a sip.

Kurt pulled out a stool and sat down, Rachel just leaned against it; they ate in silence, slowly chewing and avoiding his gaze.

Kurt finished his breakfast and sat in silence.

Rachel knew what he wanted, but she couldn't muster up the courage to just tell him.

Kurt picked up a pen and tapped it, Rachel looked up at him; she bit her lip and nervously ran a hand through her hair, but before she could speak her phone rang.

Kurt rolled his eyes, "Of course."

He got up and walked away but turned and said, "You're going to tell me, whether you like it or not."

Rachel wanted to bang her head against the hard surface. The phone rang again and she sighed, things were more complicated than she had intended them to be.

She answered, "Hi Daddy."

oo

*Weeks earlier*

Rachel stirred.

She moaned and slowly opened her eyes; she moved her head from side to side and noticed that she was laying in a bed and in complete darkness. She tried sitting up but became dizzy, so she lay back down.

She groaned, how long have I been here?

She tried to speak but her throat was dry, just as she was about to try to get up again, the door opened.

Puck had had enough, after kicking his mom out of his apartment and calling his doctor, of not being able to wake Rachel up and ask her if she was fine.

"Mr. Puckerman, she needs rest. I can't say for sure what caused her to faint until I do a thorough examination- but I can say that for right now she needs to rest."

"How long till she wakes up?"

The doctor sighed, "Could be today or a few hours; I can't say for sure."

"You think it's serious?"

"I won't know until she wakes up."

Puck thanked the doc and told him he'd make sure Rachel would go see her doctor.

It had been almost a full day when he decided to go into his room and wake her up himself, he opened the door without trying to make too much noise; but when he walked in, he noticed movement on the bed.

He walked to the edge of the bed and whispered her name.

"Noah," She managed out, "Water."

He ran to his kitchen, filled a glass, and came back to hand it to her. He helped her sit up so she could take a drink.

She greedily drank down the liquid and sighed with content when she was done. He gently helped her lay back down and turned on the desk lamp; Rachel squinted and shielded her eyes with her hand.

Puck sat on the edge of the bed, "You scared me babe."

Rachel let out a small smile, "I thought badasses don't get scared."

Puck chuckled, "We don't, but it's kinda hard to not be when something like that happens. Ma-"

"Where is she?"

Puck rolled his eyes, "I kicked her out. She was driving me nuts. I told her I'd call her later."

Rachel closed her eyes and sighed.

"Rach?"

"Hmm?"

"Are you o.k?"

Rachel turned to her side away from Puck and bit her lip.

Puck furrowed his forehead, the fuck?

"Rach? What's wrong?"

Rachel brought her knees up to her chest and curled into a ball.

"Rachel! Come on, look at me!"

He raised his voice but didn't yell; he came around the other side of the bed to face her and pulled her hands away from her face.

"Rach? Rach!"

She opened her eyes but tears were slowly rolling down her face.

"Rach, you gotta tell me what's wrong," He whispered, "Why are you acting like this?"

She swallowed and avoided his eyes, "I don't want to say, j-just let me go home."

Puck shook his head, "Nope. You're spending the night-"

"Noah! I need to go home and rest; I have work in the morning-"

"Babe, you're still off for the next few days already. Stay here and then you can go home tomorrow."

Rachel looked at him, he was holding her hand; she licked her lips and slowly sat up.

He moved closer to her, "I'm sorry."

Puck cupped her face, "Tell me."

She took a breathe and nodded, "I-I stopped eating."

"What? You stopped eating. Why the hell did you stop?"

She shrugged, "I g-got stressed and I felt like I was losing control. I wasn't hungry anymore."

Puck stood up, angry, and paced.

Rachel couldn't contain the tears, it was difficult to reveal something so embarrasing and not expect that reaction.

Puck leaned over the desk, his hands on the chair, "When did this start?"

Rachel sniffed, "About a month ago."

He made a sound of disbelief, "Are you shittin' me right now? A month. A month?"

She slowly nodded, "I'm sorry, believe me. You don't need-"

He practically flew back to the bed, "You're gonna go to the doctor tomorrow."

He sat down again, "Have you done this before?"

Rachel blew out a shaky breath and nodded.

Puck was livid. How did he not notice?

Yeah, he got really aquainted with her body, knew what she liked, whatever, but he didn't notice any changes that would alert him anything was wrong.

The only thing he had noticed was that lately she had been not eating dinner, saying that she had had a late lunch or had already eaten beforehand.

He got up and walked to the door, "You're going, I don't care if I gotta drag you there myself. No way in hell are you not gonna got. Fuck that noise."

With that, he walked out and left her alone.

She cried until she fell asleep.

oo

The ride to and from her doctor was uncomfortable, to say the least.

Puck never left Rachel's side, he was there when they drew blood and then when the doctor explained that she wasn't exactly anorexic but was in the beginning stages of it.

Puck felt a tiny bit better that he knew what was wrong but was still angry with her.

"Ms. Berry, I can't force you to eat but-"

"Fu- She's **gonna** eat, whether she wants to or not."

Puck gave Rachel and the doctor a look of defiance.

Rachel ignored the look but gave the doctor a tight smile, "I won't gorge myself but I can try-"

"Try my ass," Puck interrupts.

Rachel huffed, "I would appreciate it if-"

"You ate? Yeah babe, it's your health but I'm not gonna stand and watch you pretty much starve to death. Give her what she needa doc; I'll make sure she does what you say."

Rachel doesn't fight anymore when the doctor prescribes vitamins to start, he tells her to start with clear food, like soup or broths.

"Ms. Berry, I'll see you in a week. We'll give you a call after we receive your results." He turned to Puck. "Mr. Puckerman, while I normally don't give instructions to someone other than a patient-"

Puck glared but said nothing.

"-this is something that could become very serious. Her health is a priority and she needs to take care of herself. Please don't force her to eat, even a glass off juice will suffice, but in any case if there is something that causes you concern don't hesitate to call me."

Puck thanked the doctor and on the way out the nurse gave him the doc's card.

oo

It's been 2 weeks, even in a short amount of time things have changed.

Rachel moved in with Puck. It wasn't her decision, Puck wouldn't let her go back home without a promise that she would eat.

When she couldn't quite promise that, he took her back home, went to hers, and brought back her clothes.

"Listen, I know you think I'm gonna be a pain in the ass about this, and fuck yeah I am, but I don't want anything to happen to you. Forget the money, forget the deal we had. I just want you better, k?"

As much as Rachel wanted to say no and throw a tantrum, she didn't.

Now a week later she's heading to Artie's office because he called her and asked to meet him there. She was a nervous wreck in the cab; the elevator ride was pure hell.

It didn't help that Quinn was still the secretary, walking into the waiting area and seeing her?

Yeah, not something she wanted to deal with right now.

Quinn looked up from the desk with narrowed eyes, "Artie's with someone right now, have a seat."

Rachel screamed internally, she wanted nothing more than to grab Quinn and yell at her; to ask her what in this lifetime did she do to her?

But she didn't, she took a seat instead, in the furthest chair away from Quinn.

It felt like the clock was mocking her from the wall, she sighed and chewed on her thumb nail.

She couldn't understand why Artie would want to see her, her debt was paid and as far as she knew nothing was left in the contract.

She racked her brain until Quinn called her name.

"He'll see you now," said Quinn with an obvious distaste, "Come on, he doesn't have all day you know."

Rachel stood up and smoothed out her skirt, she adjusted her purse and pushed the door to find a man sitting face forward, and Artie sitting behind his desk, "Hello Rachel, please come in and have a seat."

He motioned the chair next to the man who was reading a paper in his hand, Rachel sat down but the man didn't acknowledge her.

Artie cleared his throat, "Charlie?"

The man looked up, "Oh sorry."

Charlie turned to Rachel and held out his hand, "Charles Tipton, pleased to meet you Ms. Berry."

Rachel gave him a polite smile, "How do you do? Excuse me Artie for being so blunt, but I came because you had something urgent to discuss with me. I just really want to know what's going on."

Artie gave a quick glance to Charlie and then inhaled deeply, "Might as well get it over with."

Rachel cleared her throat and crossed her arms across her chest.

"Rachel," He began, "Charlie is the banker's lawyer. He's here because his client wants to meet you."

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><p>AN: I really didn't want to post today, I felt that this chapter needed more work; I really need a beta so if anyone can recommend one I'd really appreciate it. Thanks again and please review!


	15. Chapter 15

A/N: I didn't expect to get a nasty review for making Rachel sick instead of pregnant, I'm writing my story the way I want and I didn't want to write what a lot of stories have. I like my story and if you don't, then just don't read it.

I do want to thank the few people that reviewed because the number of reviews is something I don't mind; I wrote this story for me and I wanted to share it with all of ya'll.

Not beta'ed, any mistakes are mine.

Disclaimer: Anything you recognize, not mine.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 15: Doubts…<strong>

Puck grabbed the bag of groceries from the cab and paid the driver; he lugged the large bag half way up the stairs then took the elevator.

After unlocking the door he walked into his kitchen and dumped the bag onto the counter; just as he was gonna call out Rachel's name, he heard voices coming from somewhere inside the apartment.

He frowned, it wasn't Rachel's voice; he kinda recognized it but couldn't place who's it was.

He walked out of the kitchen and into the living room; he couldn't see anyone but he could hear the voices become louder.

Just as he was about to turn the corner he saw Magda, arguing with Quinn? What the hell?

He moved back into the wall to listen.

"Quinn, you don't understand! She lives here now! She moved in with Puck last week, what am I supposed to do? She isn't going to leave him-"

"I don't care what you have to do!" Quinn bit out, she paced around Michelle, "You weren't supposed to let **anyone** near Puck! Tell me, what am I supposed to tell Beth about her daddy? That because of-of Rachel we can't be a family?"

Quinn huffed and stomped over the couch, "You don't understand Michelle! Beth needs her daddy, she needs us to be together and be a family! You're depriving her of that."

She sat on the couch and started crying, Puck wanted to go over and confront her for what she was doing; those tears rolling down her cheeks were fake.

His hand became a fist but he didn't move from his spot, instead he looked over at Michelle who was standing and shaking from the crying she was doing.

Quinn sniffed, "Fix this, you need to fix this! Michelle, look at me!" She jumped up and grabbed Michelle by the shoulders, "I don't know how but so help me-"

"ENOUGH!" Yelled an enraged Puck.

He stormed into the room and stood in front of Quinn.

"What the fuck are you doing? The fuck is going on?"

Quinn took a step back, wiping the tears with her fingers, "Mi-Magda called me, she said she needed to see me-"

Puck glared at Michelle, cutting Quinn off, "Who the fuck are you and what the hell is your real name?"

Michelle flinched at Puck's tone, "Sir, I am Magda-"

Quinn rolled her eyes, "Lose the act, with that look in his eyes he knows."

Michelle sniffed, "I am so sorry-"

"Get out. I should call the police and have you arrested."

Both Quinn and Michelle gave Puck a panicked look, "But I'm not going to. Get out, now."

He turned around and walked into the kitchen; both women followed behind.

"You don't belong with her Noah!" Quinn yelled out.

Puck quickly turned around, "No one but Rachel is allowed to call me Noah. Get. The. Fuck. Out."

Quinn sniffed, "Beth needs us together! Why won't you just be with me? Don't you see that Beth is going to hate you? She's going to know that you rejected being with me-"

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Puck was vibrating with rage but calmly spoke, "You're gonna fuck all of it up? For what? Get it through your head Quinn! I don't love you; I don't want to be with you: I only tolerate you for Beth; I love that little girl with my entire being. Now, get the fuckin' steppin'. Get out and take whatever her name is with you."

He yanked open the door, "You really fucked up Quinn, you need help."

He practically pushed Quinn and Michelle out the door.

Puck was so confused, who was she? Who the hell Quinn think she was? Keep Rachel away? He had to talk to Rachel.

Wherever the hell she was.

oo

I have to talk to Noah, where is he? Thought Rachel as she entered the apartment.

Artie had said the investor set up a meeting for the following week and she reluctantly agreed; the meeting would take place at his office.

She panicked at the thought of meeting the person who had tried to close her business; nothing about meeting him put her at ease.

Most of all was the fact that she didn't know who he was; she wanted to know how he found her and why he had helped her. She had confessed to Artie that not knowing who was scared her the most. Tomorrow would resolve all that.

Hopefully.

She decided the first thing she needed to do was talk to Noah, she walked into the kitchen but found it empty; she then went to the living room and found Noah sitting on the love seat.

She quickly crossed the room and sat next to him, "Noah?"

Puck shook his head, "Everything's fucked up."

Rachel gripped his hands, "Did something happen?"

Puck tightened his grip, "Quinn's taking Beth to England."

Rachel's eyes became big, "You cannot be serious Noah! Why is going to do that?"

He shrugged, "Cuz she's a bitch. She had someone here fuckin' spyin' on us!"

"What! Who?"

"Magda or whatever the fuck her name is; she came into **my** home and was telling Quinn **everything** that was going on. When I came home they were arguing about you living here. Quinn kept saying that I'm supposed to be with her, be a family for Beth. I fuckin' kicked her out and now she's taking my little girl Rach… What am I gonna do? I can't lose her!"

Puck started crying.

Rachel was stunned; not because she didn't that men shouldn't cry, but for the fact that Quinn had gone this far.

Watching Noah cry broke her heart, she knew how difficult it was to lose a dad, she had lost two; even worse that even though they could find a way to contact her they never did.

Noah wanted his little girl; he wanted her even though his relationship with her mother was very, very messed up.

So she did what she thought was best; she called her Daddy.

oo

LeRoy Berry had come to expect a lot of things from his daughter, after all, she was his; she had his stubbornness, his will to be different and his heart.

And he knew in his heart that he had done wrong.

He knew that he should've respected Rachel's passion and supported her dreams; he knew he shouldn't have stood by and let Hiram practically throw their only child out on the street.

So imagine his surprise to get a frantic call from her and expecting him to help her.

Altough they hadn't talked in almost a decade and he knew very little about her, he didn't hesitate.

After having her explain everything, he knew he needed to go to New York; her fiancé needed help, desperately.

oo

After speaking to her Daddy and getting his assurance that he would help her, Rachel went looking for Noah. She found him laying in his bed, with the curtains drawn in complete silence.

She approached him cautiously, "Noah?"

He didn't answer.

"Noah?" She whispered, "Please speak to me."

Puck looked up with swollen eyes, "What?"

She recoiled at his tone; Puck winced at the flash of hurt that passed her face.

"M'sorry, I don't know what I'm going to do."

Rachel sat at the edge of the bed and ran her hand down his back.

"My daddy's going to help us."

Puck head shot up, "Really?"

Rachel nodded, "He's coming to New York in a few days. I know that we aren't talking but he said he would help."

Puck sat up and hugged Rachel.

"Babe, do you think you can handle your dad coming?"

Rachel sighed, "I don't know. I-I didn't think things through. I hope I can."

Puck hugged her tighter, "I'm gonna be here and if he thinks he's gonna start shit... Sorry babe I might have to kick ass."

Rachel giggled, "I don't think it'll get that bad."

He pushed her onto her back, "Well let's forget about that for now. I gotta figure out a way to pay you back."

He kissed her.

Rachel smiled, "What a way to start."

oo

Rachel stood in the front of the building nervously chewing her thumb nail; her daddy's cab was about to show up any minute and she was terrified.

Seeing him again after so long made the pit in her stomach grow larger every passing minute; she had an anxiety attack the day before and had resorted to hiding food in her sleeves.

Puck had caught her but hadn't made a big deal; instead he sat her down and forced her to finish her orange juice.

She sighed, after having that akward converstation with Kurt that morning and not being to finish it was wearing her down. Not telling Kurt was starting to get old; he was her confidante and practically knew nothing about her.

She soon saw a yellow cab pull up to the curb, she waited until it came to a full stop and opened the door.

Out stepped Hiram to the surprise of Rachel; unsure of what to do, she stretched out her hand for him to shake. His eyes widened in surprise but he shook it, behind him came LeRoy.

And while Hiram was a bit colder, LeRoy didn't hesitate and immediately enveloped Rachel into a hug.

"Rachel, sweetheart. I should've told you. Your dad insisted on coming, but if I would've told you I don't think you would've been ok with it."

Rachel gave him a tight smile, "I'm fine."

LeRoy nodded, "Very well, your father and I reserved a hotel room-"

Avoiding Hiram's eyes, she led them into the building.

"Nonsense, Noah and I have plenty of room. You are both more than welcome to stay here."

LeRoy looked over at Hiram. He didn't say anything but gave a slight nod.

"If it's ok with you and Noah-"

"I already spoke to him about this. He agreed. Come, he's waiting upstairs."

oo

Puck braced himself; he wasn't good with meeting parents. The last one he met was back in Lima and it was the sheriff's daughter. He was buck naked in her room and he had happened to walk in.

So to say he was nervous was an understatment and he wasn't just meeting him; LeRoy was going to help him. That made things even more complicated.

Puck grabbed the plate that Rachel had made of food and placed on his coffee table; the door opened and in walked Rachel.

He cleared his throat when he saw LeRoy, "Sir."

LeRoy held out his hand "Noah, I'm sorry we have to see each other in these circumstances but I hope we can quickly resolve them."

Behind him came Hiram, who awkwardly shook Puck's hand.

"I don't mean to be rude but we need to discuss you're engagement to my daughter."

Rachel walked to the kitchen in anger; this wasn't something she wanted to talk to them now; right now the important thing was helping Noah with his situation with Quinn.

She came back and handed her daddy his drink, "I'm sorry but this isn't what you came for. I'm not going to explain myself to you Dad."

Hiram tightened his fist, "Rachel, how can you be engaged to him? From what his mother told us, the two of you haven't been together very long. A year? How do you know you're even ready to be married?"

Puck answered before Rachel could, "Sir, with all due respect, I love your daughter. And ok, we haven't been together that long but I can assure you, I know her very well. What do you know about her? When was the last time you talked to her? You can't base anything off of what you know because you don't know her anymore. She's not that scared little girl who was afraid to accomplish a dream, she's a grown, mature woman that owns a lucrative business. And like she said, Mr. Berry came to help me and figure out what rights I have to my daughter. She doesn't owe you anything."

Rachel was in disbelief, he loves me?

LeRoy cleared his throat and placed his hand on his husbands shoulder, "Hiram, he's right. I came for him and not to snoop into her life. We lost that right the day she left Lima. I'm sorry Rachel, I think it would be best if we left and I came back tomorrow. Goodbye."

He picked up his suitcase and left with Hiram.

Rachel was quiet when they left but as soon as the door closed she burst into tears.

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><p>Please review!<p> 


	16. Chapter 16

A/N: Thanks for the reviews!

Not beta'ed, any mistakes are mine.

Disclaimer: Anything you recognize, not mine.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 16: Let me help you...<strong>

Puck felt his hands shake as he dialed Quinn's number, after spending a few days with LeRoy (Hiram decided to tour New York instead) he had enough to basically threaten her to stay. Rachel had said he needed privacy; she had gone to kitchen to cook and leave Puck in the living room.

He drummed his fingers on his knee and took a deep breath.

While waiting, he could hear the argument in his head they had had when she called him to tell him that she was leaving for England and wouldn't be coming back.

oo

"Quinn, stop fuckin' around and tell me what you want. I should be the one that's pissed and hanging up on your ass but I'm not gonna do that. What do you want?"

"All I want you to know is I'm leaving. I have a modeling contract in England for few weeks."

"Ok, when are you comin' back?"

"That's the thing… I'm not. I-I think it would be best if I stayed there."

Puck went cold, "What about Beth?"

"She's going with me. She can come visit you during the summer or during some holidays, but… I'm taking her."

"You can't take her from me," he said in a broken voice.

Quinn sighed, "I'm not, but you know I can't stay here. I regret what I did but in my heart I did it for Beth."

"Bullshit," he muttered.

"I know you think the worst of me and you should, but I wanted you to know that I truly did love you. You gave me Beth and although we don't belong together, I can never regret that."

Puck hung up without saying goodbye.

oo

His leg bobbed up and down in nervousness, he really didn't want Beth to leave but he didn't know what else to do.

No judge was going to grant him full custody; he needed leverage and this was the only way she could stay.

"Hello Puck."

"Quinn, we gotta talk."

She let out a weary sigh, "About what?"

Puck let a few beats pass by before he answered, "You can't take Beth, I'm not gonna let you."

"There's nothing you can do. We leave the day after tomorrow; I've already researched schools for her and I've rented an apartment-"

"I'm taking you to court; I have my rights as a dad and I'm gonna fight for her."

"You can't," she tried to reason. "I have to leave, **we** have to leave. All because you don't want to be with-"

"You, I don't want you," he interrupted. "I love Beth but I don't want her to suffer. Don't you remember how miserable we were? We fought for everything, every single fuckin' day; Beth didn't pay attention but she's not dumb. She's old enough to remember and she heard a few times. I don't want her to suffer Quinn, like I did. I have someone that I love and she loves me. Let me be happy."

Quinn started crying, "Why couldn't you be happy with me? Am I really that awful?"

Puck sighed, "No. You're intense; I wasn't the right guy for you. You love me but aren't in love with me. Quinn, think about what you're doing, Beth needs you but me too. **I** need her."

Quinn sniffed, "I-I don't know what to do. I already said yes to the campaign. I can't cancel-"

"Try," Urged Puck. "Please, please I beg you Quinn, don't take her."

"Ok, I'll leave for England but… I'm leaving Beth with you; I can't break this contract, I'll be gone for 2 weeks but I'll come back. I need to apologize to you and Rachel; you really love her?"

"Yeah, I really do," He answered. "I love you too Quinn, but-"

"I know; not in love with me. I love you too, Puck. I'll come by tomorrow."

"Ok, I'll let Rachel know."

They hung up, Puck's voice shook as he called Rachel, she had gone to another room and given him his privacy; as soon as she heard her name, and she ran to the living room.

Puck was sitting at the bar; it looked like he had been crying so she cautiously approached him.

"Oh Noah-"

"She's not taking her, I-I was getting ready to threaten her but somehow I got her to not leave with Beth. She's coming by tomorrow and apologize to you. You ok with that?"

Rachel nodded, "I guess I'm going to have to be. I'm so glad that she relented. What's going to happen now?"

"I don't know, when she comes tomorrow we can figure out- but she's not leaving! Rach, my baby girl's gonna stay be with me!"

He picked Rachel up and laughed in happiness, hopefully things were going to be ok.

oo

The next day, Quinn hesitantly knocked on Puck's door; she held Beth's hand tighter and looked over at her little girl.

"Mom, I'm gonna miss you even when I'm with dad. When are you gonna come back?"

Quinn nodded, "I know baby me too, but don't worry; Dad's gonna take really good care of you. Remember what I told you."

"I know, I know; be nice to Rachel cuz she's dad's girlfriend. No pranks." She sighed, "I'll be good. Honest."

Quinn gave Beth a hug as Puck opened the door, Beth squealed and jumped into his arms; he gave her a tight hug and smiled.

Quinn walked in behind Beth; she stood uncomfortably at the door until Puck invited her to come in.

She walked slowly into his living room, how strange for her to there when she was actually invited in; how many times had she been her without him around? Too many to count, Michelle had been good at calling her. She shook her head, time to forget that.

Rachel decided to stay in another room, Noah would call her when Quinn would apologize; she didn't want to upset Beth, the little girl didn't deserve that.

Puck walked with Beth still in his arms and sat on the couch; he cleared his throat.

"Beth, go to the living room and watch TV; your mom and me are gonna talk for a bit."

Beth nodded and left. As soon as she did Puck turned to Quinn.

"Puck, I'm sorry."

He sighed, "Ya know, I think that this is the first time you've apologized instead of me."

Quinn smiled, but Puck became serious.

"So, what are we gonna do?"

Quinn sat down at the other end of the island, "I don't know."

Puck sighed, "We need to figure out something; I need to know what's gonna happen when you come back."

Quinn bit her lip, the feelings she had bubbled to the surface; it was too many to try to figure out but she pushed them all down and nodded her head.

"I'm not sure, but I'll get back to you when I come back."

"Good," said Puck, he went to the living and brought back Beth. He looked at her and said. "I think that we should get ice cream."

Beth jumped down and clapped her hands, "Can we get pizza instead? Please?"

Puck bent down, "Ok."

He waited until Beth had walked out the door to call Rachel, he gave Quinn a look.

"Don't fuck it up. She's- she's going through some-"

"Daddy! Come on!"

Puck shook his head, "Be back later." He turned and yelled out, "Rach? She's waiting for you in the living room!"

"I'll be right there." She answered back.

Quinn walked to the living and sat on the loveseat; Rachel came into the room and sat on the chair opposite her, she smoothed out her skirt and bit her lip. Quinn ran a hand through her hair and sighed.

This was the most uncomfortable setting Rachel had been in with Quinn, she looked over at her; Quinn was wringing her hands and trying not to cry.

Rachel cleared her throat and that made Quinn speak.

"First, I want to say I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done what I did; it wasn't something I was planning against you. I-I did this to anyone that came near Puck." Quinn bit her lip, before continuing, "I'm not expecting us to be friends but I do want us to get along, for Beth's sake. I've explained to her who you are, she's ok with it but…" She looked at Rachel, "I'm sorry, I really am; trying to find a family for me and Beth completely blinded me, I wanted that image, I wanted to Beth to have her family but now I realize that I shouldn't have pushed for something that wasn't going to happen. I see now that the want I had consumed me; I want you and Puck to be happy."

Rachel stood up and sat next to Quinn, "I accept your apology. While I don't understand your actions, you and Noah will always have a connection because of Beth."

Quinn smiled, "Thank you." She gripped Rachel's hand a gave it a small squeeze then stood up, "I have Beth's things downstairs and like I told Puck, I'm leaving for a few weeks but I should be back before Christmas."

Rachel nodded, "Ok."

Quinn walked back down and brought the rest of Beth's things, Puck came back with Beth a little while to find Quinn and Rachel having a quiet conversation in the kitchen.

After a tearful goodbye with Beth, she left for England; Beth took it hard but she was happy she was going to be able with her dad.

Puck was ecstatic, he had managed to avoid some serious drama from Quinn but he got to have Beth until she came back. He gave Beth a big hug and Rachel a kiss; things were starting to look up.

oo

The following day Rachel told Noah about the meeting with the investor, he was pissed.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I was going to but then everything happened with Quinn and I put that into priority."

"Ok, so you have meeting with him. When?"

"Artie called me yesterday afternoon; he said the day after tomorrow."

Puck walked up to her, "I'm going with you."

Rachel sighed, "I don't-"

"I'm going," he interrupted, "This douche was trying to fuck with you babe and I want him to tell us in our faces why he wanted to shut you down."

Rachel hugged him, "Ok."

oo

The next 2 days were tense, Rachel had decided to take off from work, to the displeasure of Kurt; he wasn't happy that he had to set another showcase by himself again. Rachel felt guilty but when she told him that she was going to do, that quickly shut him up.

The morning of the meeting Rachel woke up bright and early; Puck did too, the anxiety she had seem to rub off onto him.

The ride to the office was worse, Rachel shook with fear, literally; her teeth chattered and she couldn't control it. Noah held her hand and tried to soothe her but it didn't help; getting through the lobby and into the elevator was horrible, Noah had to practically drag her out from the cab.

She stood in the elevator gripping Noah's hand; fear was nothing compared to what she felt, he squeezed her hand and when the elevator stopped, he gave her a hug and quick kiss.

"Babe, I'm gonna be right here for you. I'm not gonna leave your side, ok?"

She smiled, "Ok."

The elevator stopped and Noah walked out first but Rachel stood still; he turned, without letting go of her hand and enveloped her into his arms.

"Babe, come on," he whispered, pushing a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "I swear you won't be alone."

She inhaled deeply and blew out a slow breathe, "I'm scared."

He looked into her eyes, "Don't be, if it wasn't for this guy we wouldn't be together."

Rachel felt her eyes start to water, "I love you Noah."

He smiled, this was the first time she had said those words and he couldn't be happier. He didn't feel whipped or like a pussy, he felt the same way.

"I love you too."

They kissed and she sniffed.

"Now come on, let's meet this jerk."

They walked out and into the waiting; another secretary was sitting at the desk. Rachel gave her name and the woman told her Artie'd be with her.

They took their seats, Rachel's heart started pounding, her leg was bouncing and she bit her lip. Noah stroked her arm and comforted her the best he could.

Too soon her name was called; they walked into Artie's office.

As soon as Rachel saw him, she gasped, "You?"

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><p>Dun dun! Any guesses who it could be? Leave a review with your ideas! BTW The reason I posted this today is because I'm swamped with wedding plans for my sister, she gets married Oct. 20th and I have a TON of things to do. I have another chapter to post but it probably won't be for 2 weeks, so fingers crossed i finish that one quickly. Have a great weekend!<p> 


	17. Chapter 17

A/N: I'm so sorry. RL has been a bitch and having writer's block isn't helping. Family crisis' on top of another is taking up room right now and I barely have had time to make myself sit down and type.

And well this chapter is crap so please forgive me because it sucks and its short.

Not beta'ed, any mistakes are mine.

Disclaimer: Anything you recognize, not mine.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 17: Moving On…<strong>

Rachel was speechless, she expected a complete stranger, someone she had never met before; never in her life could she have foreseen that person to be Jesse St. James.

She stood motionless at the door; Noah tightened his grip, and cursed under his breath. Jesse held out his hand, expecting Puck to shake it, but when he didn't he looked over at Rachel, waiting for her to admonish him for his lack of manners; but when she didn't he cleared his throat.

Puck internally laughed, St. Douchebag? Yeah, let me break his face right here; Puck had to hold Rachel's hand in order to not go over to him and do it.

The tension in the room was palpable. Shock ran through Rachel, all she wanted was to turn back around, go home and bury back into bed. But the smug look Jesse had on his face turned that shock into anger, she contemplated going over to him and slapping it off but feeling Noah tense when she moved kept her still.

Puck let go of Rachel's hand, all he wanted was to go up St. Jerk off and beat that damn smirk off his smug face; only because Rachel reached out and grabbed his elbow, he didn't.

"Rachel, looking lovely as always-" Jesse stated, ignoring Puck's obvious glare. "I don't think I've ever left you speechless. But can I say that I am surprised who you're with. Puck? I thought that you would be married to Finn Hudson by now, but Puck? Aren't you the criminal who slashed Vocal Adrenaline's tires? I seem to recall you and Finn-"

"Shut your pie hole St. Jackass-" Noah bit out.

"Noah," Rachel quietly remarked, "Please."

He licked his lips and huffed, "Fine, but know this St. Jerk, I'm not leaving her for one second; so keep your grubby paws to your damn self."

Before Jesse could answer, Artie rolled in between them, "Guys, sit down so we can discuss this. Rachel, you can sit over here next to Puck and Jesse you can sit over here next to me."

Rachel and Puck took their seats, Jesse walked around.

"Very well," Jesse said before sitting down, "I'm sure you want to know how I came upon this line of business, don't you Rachel?"

Rachel ignored his question and instead looked at Jesse square in the eye, "No. I don't want to deal with you Jesse, so whatever you want you can't have and I'm not going to let you ruin something else for me. I paid you your money back, I owe you nothing."

Jesse swallowed, not expecting Rachel to talk to him that way. Puck sat next to her and held her hand, proud that she had told him to shove it. He gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. She squeezed back.

Jesse cleared his throat, "Rachel, I didn't call this meeting to take anything from you; I wanted to see you and explain that I help people out by loaning them money and then letting them make small monthly payments until it's been paid. The only reason I broke the contract was because I saw your name on a paper from my lawyer; one of the rules I have is that I'm not supposed to know who I loan my money to; it makes things easier for me, forming no attachment to anyone just in case I happen to know who I loaned to. But seeing your name, Rachel, I couldn't stay away; I had to see you and explain why I did it."

She scoffed, "You wanted to see me so you made me pay everything at once? ...That is the most ridiculous explanation I have ever heard! Instead of doing that, you could have figured out a way to contact me; found an easier way to see me. Don't you understand what you did? I thought that I had lost everything, my life, my dream! I didn't know who to turn to, where to go, but thankfully," She said, "Noah helped me. He paid my debt. You can't understand the magnitude of what I went through, the stress, how scared I was, and just so you could see me again?"

She stood up, as did Puck, and walked to the door, "Screw you Jesse St. James, I **don't** ever want to see you again."

"Rachel-"

"Don't," she said, effectively cutting him off. "I didn't-we didn't come back to hear your excuses. I just want the truth. All I want to know is what do/did you want?"

Jesse shook his head, "I don't/didn't want anything. At least not at first." He sighed, "It was stupid of me to think you would find out who helped you and you'd run back into my arms. I'm sorry Rachel, it wasn't my intention, and I just wanted to see you again. I'm sorry that I ruined something I shouldn't have touched."

Rachel stood frozen at the door, listening to Noah curse under his breath; he wanted to really beat his ass but Rachel standing there prevented him from doing it.

She opened the door and walked out, leaving a shocked Jesse watching them walk away.

oo

Noah tried to flag down a cab while Rachel sat at a bench; he knew her nerves were frayed and all he wanted to do was get her home. He expected Jesse to come down and coax them into going back up and wanted to get the hell outta of there before that could happen; he couldn't determine what Rachel was feeling, her emotions flickered through her face quickly.

She couldn't contain herself but decided she'd rather not make scene in public; she was in disbelief, her mind swirling with the conversation that had just occurred.

He did this.

That thought popped into her mind, he had made her life miserable for a moment; managed to make her feel like she was one step from losing everything she had worked for. She looked over Noah who was obviously getting frustrated because he couldn't get a cab to stop.

She gripped the end of the bench; she clasped her eyes shut and blew out a breath. She needed to do something; not exact revenge, that wasn't her thing after what she did to Sunshine Corazon, but she felt something bubbling under her skin. The anger, the sadness, were gnawing at her; clawing to burst out and let them take over.

Jesse did this.

HE did this, he tried to ruin her life, take away her dream; all so he could see her. Why? Why did he want to see her? After seeing him for the last time at National's, she expected to see him in NYADA (before her rejection); but now?

She needed to get away. And fast. Noticing Noah still standing trying to get a cab, she stood up and walked. She didn't have a destination, she just walked.

The next thing she knew she was standing in front of the building, watching the people come in and out the door. It was pointless, she knew why she was standing here but that voice in her head was holding her back. The past was the past and no matter how much talking about it was done, it would never be the same.

oo

Puck was freaking out. Rachel was gone.

He didn't know where to, he had turned around to check on her but she was gone. He ran back into the building but couldn't find her, he ran out into the street and ran down the block; no luck either. He pulled out his phone dialed her number, he was sent to her voicemail.

"Shit, Rachel. Dammit, where are you?'

He hung up. Where the hell was she?

oo

Jesse St. James, his name was ingrained into Rachel's brain; kind of hard to forget the boy who had promised so much and instead ended up hurting her. Of course being a naïve 16 yr old didn't help, she believed him, in him, and had ignored the opinions of the others that he was only there to hurt her. But why shouldn't she have? The Glee kids didn't have her best interests to heart, all they saw was someone who encouraging her to be herself; be the best and maybe get her to throw them away and become a rival instead. But she ended up throwing all of her belief into him and had ended up hurt.

She took a drink, whatever. She was a little drunk anyways and didn't really care at the moment, not with her phone ringing every 5 minutes and getting a text message everytime she hit ignore.

She looked over at Santana and sighed, "Thanks, but I need to go. Noah's calling non-stop-"

"Wait," Santana interrupted. "You're drunk. It's late. Let me call Puck and tell him your staying-"

Rachel quickly stood up, "NO! While I appreciate what your-" She fell down.

Santana ran over and pulled her up, "Rachel. Please. Don't be stubborn. Come on. I got a bed with your name on it."

Rachel looked over at Santana and felt herself break down a little, "Ok."

Santana helped her to the bed then turned around to grab her phone.

She dialed Puck's number; since he didn't answer she left a message, "Rach's here. I'll get her to you tomorrow."

She hung up and then went to bed.

oo

Puck was frantic, Kurt hadn't seen Rachel that morning; Mercedes was out of town. He didn't know who else to call, he only knew a few of Rachel's friends and he was running out options.

He considered calling the police but they wouldn't do anything. Fuck! Where was she? She didn't answer her phone, not a single text either. He was seriously worried. He roamed to parts of New York he knew Rachel frequented but nothing.

He went home. And waited. He sat in the armchair closest to the door and waited. He had forgotten his cell phone in the cab he had ridden.

* * *

><p>Welp, there ya go. It sucks I know. No promises for the next chapter. I haven't even started it. Until next time!<p> 


	18. Chapter 18

A/N: Note on bottom.

Not beta'ed, any mistakes are mine.

Disclaimer: Anything you recognize, not mine.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 18: Loose Ends…<strong>

This was a disaster.

Noah hadn't called her back, Kurt wasn't answering his phone and Santana was trying too hard. That annoyed her the most, Santana was going out of her way to be a good hostess and friend but it just was too forced. Everything Santana did irritate her; she was being too nice and understanding.

This was all wrong, she was supposed to be bad friend; but was she really? Deep down, very deep down Rachel was conflicted; Santana wasn't a friend anymore but everything she did made HER feel bad. When Santana came in with a glass of water and 2 aspirin, Rachel pretended to sleep; later when she came in again, Rachel was awake but still under the covers.

"Rachel?" The mattress shifted under Santana's weight. Rachel didn't move. Santana got up and Rachel heard her walk to the door.

"I'm sorry Rachel."

Rachel felt a lone tear trickle down her cheek.

oo

A knock on the door then, "Daddy?"

"Huh?" Puck grumbled out, "Baby?"

His whole body hurt, his head throbbed and he was sitting in a weird position in the chair. Hearing Beth's voice brought him back to reality.

She had been with Blaine and Sam at their office for the day and then gone to be with Quinn's assistant for the night. Feeling like the shitty dad he was, he got up and walked to the door, as soon as he opened the door, Beth jumped into his arms; he walked to the kitchen with her and sat her.

"Well madam, what would you like for breakfast? We have pancakes, eggs, bacon?" Puck said in a silly voice.

Beth giggled, "Eggs and sausage please! But Dad, where's Rachel? She cooks in the mornings!"

Puck pulled out the pan out and placed it on the burner, "She left early this morning. She'll be back later."

That satisfied Beth, but Puck felt bad lying to her; she and Rachel had started to get along really well and he knew if she knew that Rachel was missing, it could be damaging to Beth. After breakfast was over, Beth got ready to leave again; that morning Quinn's mother was coming into town to take Beth Christmas shopping.

Thank goodness for small favors; it would make things less stressful with Beth spending the rest of the week with Judy and then Quinn coming back the following week, he had time to find Rachel before Beth came back.

He got ready after getting Beth and Judy out the door then calling his job to inform them that he'd be out the rest of the week; his boss was unhappy but Puck reminded him he hadn't been out since the beginning of the year, that shut him up.

He started looking for his phone but couldn't find it anywhere. He set out without it, frustrated that he didn't know where it was. He knew the only way to reach her was now missing, so he did the next best thing and he ended up walking to Rachel's studio.

He entered through the back; Kurt quickly noticed him and ushered him into Rachel's office.

"Puck. Long time."

Puck nodded, "I know." He looked at Kurt for a moment; did he know where she was? Would he tell him?

"Puck?" Kurt gave him a confused look. "Everything ok?"

"You don't know?" Puck stated. "Never mind. I'm looking for Rachel. Have you seen her today?"

Kurt shook his head. "No," He walked over to her desk and pulled out her day planner, "She's out today and tomorrow. She called a few days ago and told me to write that in." He scoffed, "I'm her 'best friend' and business partner, so what would I know?" Kurt was obviously pissed.

Puck shifted from one foot to another, he wanted to tell him but he didn't know how; he could freak out and cal the police or her dads. That was the last thing he needed, her dads show up again and muck things up even more. All these scenerios played out in his mind, no. No. Not saying anything until he talked to Rachel. He rubbed the back of his head.

"Ok. Well see ya Kurt."

Kurt frowned, "Just like that? No. Tell me what the hell is going on. Right now!" He practically lunged for Puck. "I don't know anything about her; I haven't talked to her in the last month!"

Puck pulled back, "You see her everyday. Call her-"

"That doesn't mean we talk!" He huffed out, "I can barely get 2 words out of her. She avoids talking about you, she didn't tell me her fathers' came to town; I know NOTHING about her. But all of sudden it's all about you. She doesn't need words for that. Everytime the phone rang and it was you, her eyes would light up, her voice would change; even how she stood." He shook his head, "I sound like a jealous person, don't I?" He paused, "Well I am! What's going on? Why haven't you seen her?" Kurt was breathing hard, relief was clear on his face; getting out what he felt was starting to wear on him, (bottling things in was bad for the skin) and Rachel ignoring him was the last straw.

Puck sighed, "Fine. Don't get your pant-"

"Quiet Puckerman!" Kurt warned. "So?"

Puck rolled his eyes, "Look, I'm not gonna lie; I don't know where she is."

Kurt's eyes went wide, "What!" He screeched out and Puck winced. Kurt paced; looked at Puck, then paced again, muttering something under his breathe. He looked at Puck again and took in a long breathe, "I know where she went." But before Puck could ask where, Kurt kept talking; "No, I didn't know, but whenever we fought she would go to Santana's. I know right now she's really upset at her but... You have to remember, they've been through a lot. A best friend like that you won't find again, she's accepted her and understood her; I know Santana seems like a horrible person but she's far from it. What she did, was bad but in her heart- Santana's, it came from the best part of her. Did Rachel tell you that she did the same thing?"

"Seriously?"

Kurt nodded, "Yeah. Rachel thought that she could get Santana and her grandma talking again. Guess how that went."

Puck sat down, "God, this is so fucked up. She didn't say anything. We barely talked about Santana. What happened?"

Kurt sighed again, "Rachel went to go see Alma and she pretty much cursed Rachel out. Santana was furious and humilated, they didn't speak for a month, it was horrible by the way; Santana couldn't take it anymore and decided she should've been more understanding to Rachel and that she was trying to help. Santana was trying to do the same, but Rachel really really hates Shelby. I talked to her before Shelby came, she doesn't understand what she did to Rachel."

"Fuckin' understatement of the year dude."

Kurt wrinkled his nose at that comment, "Could you be anymore crude?"

"S'how I am. Rachel loves it-"

Kurt rolled his eyes, "I'm sure she does. Enough talk, let me call her; she'll tell me."

He pulled out his phone, he waited a few moments; "Santana." Pause. "He's here." Another pause. "Ok, we'll be there."

He turned to look at Puck, "She's fine. Sleeping, hungover, and ignoring her."

He gave Kurt a dirty look, "Why the hell is she drunk?"

"That's what she does, she gets drunk then she'll talk." He pulled Puck out with him. "Come on."

oo

Rachel splashed cold water into her face then reached for a towel, wiping it across her face then assesed the damage she saw in the mirror; swollen eyes, purple bags, red nose- damn, this was worse than she had imagined. Appearance was important to her and she needed to look her best; no one was going to get the best of her and even if they did, she wouldn't show it.

A knock on the door pulled her out of her thoughts, she knew Santana knew she was up, she had heard some noises while she hid in the bathroom; she had peeked out when she had heard the door close. No point in putting it off any longer; face it and get it over with. If it ended with them not being friends again, then so be it; but al least that chapter of her life would be closed.

Another knock.

"Yes?"

"Puck and Kurt are on they're way," Pause. "Can we talk?" Said Santana in an uncertain tone. "Please?"

Rachel gave one last glance into the mirror, 'get ready Rachel,' "Ok. I'll be out in a minute."

"Fine. I'll be in the kitchen."

Rachel didn't answer; instead she waited until the door closed to open hers and change. All the while possible scenarios running through her head, her running off, slapping her again, punching her; the last one had a slight comforting feel to it. Of course she didn't condone violence, but... It still felt good to hurt her. (If anyone ever asked, she'd deny it.)

She finished getting together and ran the brush through her hair one more time; did it feel odd that Santana put her in the spare room reserved especially for her? Extra clothes, some makeup, and her favorite products. Yes. Because it meant that Santana was trying and Rachel wanted for her to give up so she could justify everything buzzing inside her.

She heard a something fall then a crash, followed by a "Shit," Santana had dropped something; time to go.

oo

Rachel walked to the door expecting to find Santana cleaning up, instead she found her sitting next to the broken dish, crying; Rachel felt her resolve break a little more, Santana looked so vulnerable and sad. She walked into the room and Santana quickly shot up; she wiped her tears and sniffed.

"Sorry," she said while wiping her hands on her apron. "The plate fell off-"

"Don't worry about," She walked over to Santana; she knelt down and picked up a broken piece. Santana takes it and sighs, "I'm sorry. But I need you to know this."

Rachel shakes her head, "I know. I know you're sorry and you're always going to be sorry, but I can't forgive you right now-"

"It's been 2 months Rach!" Santana declared, a bitter tone overpowering her voice. "I fucked up. Big time. But you know this about me, how many time have I had to beg you to forgive me?" She was breathing hard, her eyes on the verge of tears. "What did you expect me to do? I did what thought was right, Shelby didn't come to me; I heard you arguing with her one day and I went to confront her. I was going to kick her ass, protect you, but when I did find her, I couldn't do it."

Rachel took that moment to process that bit, she remembers that day, Shelby had contacted her; someone in Lima had given her Rachel's number. The call surprised her; Shelby willing to to start a relationship and want to be a part of her life, something Rachel had so desperately wanted and her heart ached to have a mother. But then Shelby started talking about her future, meeting producers and people she knew in Broadway; only to be disappointed to learn Rachel no longer pursued her dream.

Rachel sighed, "She was so disappointed in me. I couldn't, wouldn't let her in my life like that. She didn't see what I had become, someone who was trying to move on from that. All she could see was that I failed."

Santana's hand became a fist, visible anger flashed on her face, "She didn't tell me that. She told me you didn't want anything to do with her. Fuckin' bitch. I can't-"

Rachel took a step forward and hugged Santana, both girls were crying now; did this mean it was ok? Rachel didn't know, but Shelby had lied and managed to tear apart what Rachel valued in her life.

* * *

><p>AN: I'm really sorry about the lack of updates, I haven't abandonded this story nor do I plan to.

But some things have happened in my personal life that have made it difficult to focus and write, mainly the fact that my son's dad and I have separated and are now going through a messy divorce. It's a heart breaking process and something I didn't think I'd ever have to go through, especially at Christmas time.

So I can't say when I'm going to finish but I'm going to try.

Btw, I'm on tumblr so check me out there. Magentaroselips*tumblr*com.

Thanks and keep reviewing, they make my day!

Light-azul.


	19. Chapter 19

A/N: SORRY! Sorry, really I'm so sorry I haven't updated but life has been hectic, between switching jobs, looking for a house, moving etc. I'm still in the middle of my separation and things aren't looking so well. But enough of that, here you go!

BTW you might want to read the note on the bottom!

Not beta'ed, any mistakes are mine.

Disclaimer: Anything you recognize, not mine.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 19: Life, Unexpected<strong>

Rachel heard her name called; she blinked and quickly looked away from the woman holding a small bundle and up to the dark haired woman standing in front of her.

"Ms. Berry," she said again. "Can you come with me please?"

Rachel inhaled deeply before answering, "Yes, I'm sorry. I have everything filled out. Here you go."

She stood up and handed the nurse her paperwork, the nurse smiled, "My name is Amy."

Rachel held out her hand and Amy shook it, "Rachel. But you already know that."

Amy nodded and indicated Rachel to follow her. The nurse led her through a door then a small hallway, she began to chatter, talking about due dates, common symptoms; things Rachel already knew.

She was Rachel freakin' Berry, she did her research, weighed this with that; she had also drawn up a pros and con, looking for the best doctor to take of her.

But most importantly, was she pregnant? All signs point to yes, she bitterly thought.

As she followed the nurse, she tried hard to ignore the baby pictures tacked to the walls; newborns, twins, in those propped poses and pictures of pregnant bellies. It unnerved her, seeing sleeping babies, mothers holding on to their new little ones; this was possibly her life now and instead of happiness, dread, and fear filled her.

Unaware that she had stopped walking and had been staring at a picture of a little green-eyed girl with dark brown hair; it amazed her how much of Noah she could see in that picture. The dark cloud crossed her mind, Noah didn't have any other children, as far as she knew; she trusted Noah but he hadn't been a saint growing up and what if?

Suddenly she felt a tap on her shoulder; she scolded herself for thinking that and quickly vanished that thought from her mind.

Before she could say anything, the nurse handed her a cup for a urine sample.

"You can go to the bathroom right over there," She said as she pointed to the door. "After you're done you can leave your cup outside on the cart."

Rachel went in and then came back out; Amy was waiting when she opened the door. She knew the procedures (she had read everything she could on-line) but that didn't mean it wasn't a little daunting to actually do this in a real office setting and a nurse.

Amy said nothing but again, indicated to Rachel to follow her, ked her to step on the scale. She didn't want to look at it sure she had probably gained a few pounds; the nurse said nothing as wrote something on the clipboard.

"Ms. Berry, this way please," said the nurse.

Rachel sighed, clasped her eyes shut, licked her lips and blew out a slow breathe; this was her future, hers and Noah's. No turning back-for any reason, she had accepted this and now-well now, she was going to go through it.

oo

"Congratulations Mr. Finn Hudson. You have successfully registered star #91637901643 as Rachel Berry. You are now a proud owner of this wonderful piece of our wondrous galaxy."

Rachel held the piece of paper in her hands; it was yellowed and creased from when she had carefully placed it inside her math textbook, which had been long forgotten and hidden behind her closet.

She read the first line again, remembering how special and loved she had felt when Finn had given this to her. It had seemed so sweet and innocent; she had thought nothing else could top that very special moment.

She put the paper into a box and then picked up another, it was for her pig, Barbra; the one Finn had adopted for a family in Africa. It had been a strange present; considering she was a vegan, but the gesture and intention had been just as sweet.

The pig had been given to the family a while ago; she wasn't naïve to think that the family had kept the pig as a pet but she refused to be morbid about it. She was glad that the family had received the pig, the present had come from an unselfish spot from Finn and she had been a part of it. She folded up the letter again and placed it in another box.

She found other things; a stub from when she had been Maria in the Westside story play that reminded her about losing her virginity to Finn. Not her best moment but she thought she had loved Finn in that moment and that they would be together forever; it was her teenage fantasy to live with him, marry him, have his kids and live happily ever after.

Now, that reality had slapped her in the face and shown her that things were never how you expected them to be.

It wasn't until she found her calendar; the one she had thought she had thrown away because it had had been a reminder of someone she wanted to forget and burn out of her brain. Brody had been one of the worst decisions in her life; even uttering his name brought back unpleasant memories.

Staring at that calendar had brought her back to the present, it was almost February; December and January had blurred together, having been long forgotten and along with that had been her period. She wasn't regular but she had one every month around the same time.

She literally threw everything back into the closet and ran to the nearest bodega.

She waited until Noah had gone to work the next day to take the tests; the first one read negative and while she felt relief, just to make sure she took another one.

Reading the little plus sign on the stick? The most unnerving, frightening moment of her life.

She stared at the stick for what felt like hours and let it sink in, a child. A baby was possibly growing inside her and she felt horrible. Wasn't it supposed to be joy, happiness, and all around rainbows and butterflies?

There was maybe a baby and she was already being a bad mother, not instantly clutching her stomach, proclaiming undying love, showering praises, and promising to be the best mother ever. Instead, she felt dread; the pit she had in her stomach grew wider and wider with each passing moment.

Her life was a mess, she could barely keep herself together; going day by day was a battle, she was trying but it wasn't enough.

Everything had blown up in her face and just tackling the most mundane task was difficult, she only ate when Noah would force her; she went to work but barely left her office, scared that someone would notice her and try to talk. Kurt was around but he kept mostly away from her, he didn't want to smother her so he waited, and waited until she wanted to come to him.

She wasn't able to teach any classes, her last ballet class had been a disaster; she had had a panic attack right before the class had ended and Noah had had to leave his office early to pretty much drag her home.

Things were falling apart for her and she couldn't understand why. Nothing was right, everyone was leaving and there she was, in the middle and there was no way she could stop it.

Maybe, just maybe having this baby would give her life significance, because to her, life was slowly drifting away.

oo

Rachel followed the nurse once again through a maze of hallways. They came to a door that the nurse pushed open; the room had a small chair next to the door and an exam table in the middle, nothing too spectacular. A folded gown lay on the table, Rachel walked in behind the nurse who had walked to the sink on the other side of the room.

"Ms. Berry, the doctor is with a patient but please, remove all of your clothing and put the gown on, including your undergarments; you may wear your sweater until the doctor comes in. You can also place your things in the chair by the door. I'll be back with the doctor in a few minutes. You can close the curtain while you change."

Rachel nodded and the nurse gave her a small smile then left.

Rachel looked around the room before taking her purse and putting it on the chair, she walked towards the exam table and picked up the gown; it was paper thing with a slit in the back. She hated these exams, especially the fact that she was unable to wear anything except the gown. She started taking off her sweater, she shivered; it was freezing. She took off the rest of her clothes and put the gown on, just as she sat on the table there was a knock at the door.

The nurse walked in and right behind her was the doctor; a small white haired man with a friendly smile, he held in his hands her file. He walked over to the sink without a word and washed his hands, Rachel's heart started to pound, loudly in her ears; the doctor walked over to her.

"Hello Ms. Berry!" He said a little too cheerfully, "What, may I ask, brings you to my practice?"

oo

She didn't go out, she stayed home and slept. She ignored her phone, didn't answer the door; Noah tried to get her to go out but she refused. He was getting frustrated and occasionally he would raise his voice or curse under his breathe and she would retreat into her shell.

After the debacle with Santana, she felt it better to keep a low profile; they weren't friends anymore and although she was heartbroken, it made her realize that maybe it was better this way.

She had Noah, she loved him and wanted to be with him; he was her rock and he helped her feel like a person. Not the mechanical being she had been feeling on a daily basis, being with him was her highlight; he was doing everything he could to make her feel like a better person, he pushed her to do something about her business and to get out from under Shelby's shadow.

Regardless of how difficult things were, things were slowly falling into place, life with Noah was something she hadn't expected; it was better.

First, her business, the money had been paid back and now nothing was owed; new contracts had been drawn up and no mention of Jesse was in them.

Rachel Barbra Berry was sole owner of En Pointe. She had managed to secure another lawyer to see that no one else could try anything else on her again. Artie tried to apologize and assured her that he hadn't known who the anonymous banker had been; she accepted it but had informed him that he was no longer her lawyer.

Then Santana, she was a good friend but her intentions were all messed up; sneaking around, hiding things and just plain lying was hurting them. The next day Santana tried calling Rachel, Noah instead took the phone from her and told her to fuck off; Rachel hasn't heard from her since.

Shelby was no longer in the picture either, Rachel hadn't heard from her since the last time and in all honesty, she felt free. She lamented the fact that she didn't have a mother to rely on but that it was ok; she had to learn to be strong and not depend on someone else to fix her life.

oo

Rachel walked home but she couldn't exactly remember how. She sat on the couch, in her hand was a picture. The doctor hadn't surprised her in confirming the pregnancy but the due date left her in complete shock.

She was 23 weeks pregnant, roughly four and half months, almost five; how had she not noticed? The doctor was a little concerned about her weight but with everything he had prescribed and ordered her to eat, he was hopeful that she would have an uneventful pregnancy.

She heard some noise coming from the kitchen, "Noah?" she called out.

"Babe!" he shuffled into the living room. "How was the meetin-"

He stopped talking when he saw her face and was quickly at her side.

"Rach?" He had a concerned look on his face. "Babe, what's wrong?"

Rachel could feel tears start to form, Noah become even more alarmed.

She sniffed, "Noah…"

"Babe?"

"I have something to tell you."

Noah cleared his throat, "Ok?"

She practically shoved the ultrasound picture into his face.

"I'm pregnant."

* * *

><p>So… I'm sorry it seems like it's all over the place, I'm having such a hard time trying to actually sit down and type all this out!<p>

But before you decide to kill me I promise things are going to be much better! Namely, YOU get to help me decide what they're having!

Yep, a boy? A girl? And a name suggestion! I'm going to post an update in 2 weeks, Thursday, so suggest away!

I'll message you if I pick your suggestion!

So PLEASE review and again, I'm truly sorry for the lack of updates!


	20. Chapter 20

A/N: So someone reviewed that they were disappointed in me for the last chapter, while it did hurt my feelings a bit, it kicked my butt into gear. I still haven't decided what they're going to have and what chapter just yet. But I do warn you, it's almost there!

Not beta'ed, any mistakes are mine.

Disclaimer: Anything you recognize, not mine.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 20: All's well that ends well<strong>

It was hot.

Correction, it was fuckin' hot.

Excuse her language but sitting on the couch having three fans on her was not enough, it felt like a hundred degrees; she was hot and sticky.

Nothing was helping, Noah had called the repairman earlier that morning but he still hadn't shown up; Rachel was miserable.

It was June, it was stuffy and this _**kid,**_ who she loved very much and adored with all her heart, was being stubborn.

Not just a few days late; nope, try a week. Top off that the air conditioner had broken in the middle in the night and woken her up, she was done.

Today was the day their baby was going to be born, but Noah pointed out that the baby would come when it was time.

Rachel stomped her foot, "Noah! Why can't you just agree with me? I am on a schedule! The baby was due last week; right now I should be breastfeeding then we were to start a real bath- Noah, don't laugh!" Rachel griped to him, again. For the third time that day. She was tired, her feet hurt and not being able to lay on her back to sleep was making her crankier then usual.

"Why doesn't it want to be born? Does it know that I won't a good mother? Do you-"

Noah quickly grabbed her hands and sat next to her on the couch, "Babe, Rach, no. Stop. Listen to me, the baby's gonna come when it's time. You know that, come on babe; you're gonna be a kick ass mom. This kid is gonna be so lucky to have you, babe, you love this baby. I love the baby. I love you. Fuck-"

"Noah! Language!" Rachel admonished.

Noah chuckled, "But seriously babe, you made a comfy home and shit for this baby; why would it wanna come out to this shithole?"

Rachel smiled, ignoring his language, and shook her head, "It won't be. I have you. You'll be the best dad. I know you'll be. But… I'm scared. What if I forget to feed or change-"

Noah took her head between his hands, "Rachel… Come on, let's enjoy the last few days of being just us. Ok?"

Rachel sighed, "Fine, fine… I'm sorry. I'm just tired. And hot. And hungry. Go buy me some ice cream? Please?"

Noah shook his head, "Vanilla with crushed strawberries? Or-"

Rachel wrinkled her nose, "No," She patted her stomach, "The baby wants mint chocolate chip and fudge."

Noah rolled his eyes and kissed her forehead, "The baby huh?"

Rachel made an indignant squeal, "Noah!"

He ran out before she could grab a pillow and throw it at him.

oo

Puck had come home earlier than her and started dinner. He was in the middle of taking the chicken off the grill when the door had opened; he expected Rachel to come in, sit at the island, like she always did, and talk about the studio.

Except that never happened.

Worried, he was about to call out her name but instead heard his, he answered back and walked to the living room; he started to ask her about her meeting but stopped when he noticed the look on her face and holding a paper in her hands.

The look on her face was grim.

She sniffed, "Noah…"

"Babe?"

"I have something to tell you."

Noah cleared his throat, "Ok?"

She practically shoved paper the ultrasound picture into his face.

It took him a minute to focus on what it was, a thin glossy print in black and white with Rachel's name written across the top.

Noah stood at the table silent, Rachel had just dropped the bomb on him; well not exactly a bomb but something that was going to change both their lives forever.

"_I'm pregnant."_

He was silent, so was she; his face blank and hers streaked with tears.

She broke the silence, "Noah? Please say something."

Noah tried formulating words but came up with nothing.

She sniffed again, "Noah? Please. I need to know what you're thinking. Are you angry?"

Noah blinked and a frown emerged, "I'm not sure what I feel. But… I think this is good. Isn't it?"

Rachel shrugged no formative answer.

"I don't know. I don't want you to think that I did this on purpose," she started talking faster. "I don't know if you want to be a part of this, I need to know now so I can figure out where I'm going to go. You can visit the baby whenever you like. I won't make you be there if don't want to be. I'll work whatever I have to, to make sure that the baby has whatever it needs; you won't need to do anything. I can work, take care of the baby; he or she will be fine and we'll figure out something. I need to look for an apartment then, something close to the studio and then line up daycare or a sitter. You don't need to do anything. I'll just let you get back to your life. You can forget about us. Forget the contract, forget I existed; this baby will be mine to raise, you don't need to do anything-"

Noah shook his head, "Babe. Stop. Listen to me-"

Rachel took a large breathe and kept talking, "No, Noah, I'm letting you off the hook. Don't you understand that you don't need to do anything? I can-"

"No." He said and gave her a defiant look.

Rachel stopped talking, "No?"

He shook his head and thrust the ultrasound picture forward, "You aren't going to do this alone; I'm gonna be this baby's dad dammit. I'm not gonna let you run away like Quinn did. You aren't going to not let me do this. And I want you to listen to me; I fuckin' love you ok? I love you, I want to be with you, and nothing is going to stop me from loving this baby and raising it. I LOVE YOU."

Rachel smiled through her tears, "Oh Noah," she sniffed. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry." She took his hands and pulled him forward, she kissed him; feeling excitement, exhilaration, love pour out of her heart and flow through her veins. "I love you. I love you and I just couldn't help but be scared."

He put one hand up to her cheek, "Rachel. Look at me."

Her eyes went up to his, "I love you. Don't forget that."

She kissed him again, "Ok."

Then took the picture from his hands, "We're gonna have a baby."

oo

That night he and Rachel decided not tell anyone just yet. Even though she was very far along, you couldn't really tell unless you knew; things were starting to fall into place and they didn't want any negative feelings or unwanted advice.

Puck couldn't help but feel ecstatic, he was gonna be a dad again but this time he was going to be around and experience everything along with Rachel.

But Puck did tell Rachel that he would have to call his Ma, she was gonna flip her shit; they hadn't talked since the last time and well, he needed her to know.

Rachel agreed but stated that he would tell her, she still felt awful about how things had gone when Ruth had been in New York.

He loved his Ma but as long as she didn't approve of his relationship, he was going to keep his distance. Ada would call every now and then, tell him how things were going; sometimes she would bitch him out because he wouldn't call his Ma.

She never hesitated to call him out on his shit, it was scary how she would become just like him; hard headed, passionate, angry.

She answered the phone when he called.

"Hey jerk face!"

Puck sighed, so much for trying to not stir up drama, "Ada."

"Ya know, I had a bet with Jake to see how long it would take for you fuck things up. I won. Beat Jake by 2 days."

"Thanks a lot squirt," Puck said sarcastically. "I love ya too."

"Aw Puck, I love my big brother but you know what you did. You shoulda seen Ma's face when she came home from New York. I'm surprised you're still alive."

He sighed, "I know. Trust me I know. Listen, is she around?"

"Yeah, hold on." A muffled "ma!" was heard. "She's comin'. So... If you die, I get your room. Oh, and Jake wants the truck."

"WHAT! Fuck NO! Stay away from my shit Ada! Tell Jake hell no!" Puck growled into the phone.

The only response he got were her guffaws.

"Noah?" Ruth's voice was tentative, which was unusual.

"Hey Ma."

"Hello sweetheart. I'm so glad you've called. It's been a while." She spoke so softly, was she trying a new angle?

Because if she was, it was working.

"I know, we've been busy." He answered earnestly. "Work, the office, just life… So how are things?"

Ruth sighed, "Everything's going well, Jake's been staying here and sometimes with his mother; Ada, well she's growing like a weed. She graduates high school in a few months, ar-are you going to come?"

He silently cursed, how could he have forgotten about that? She graduated in June and the baby was due around that time. What to tell her?

"Uh, probably. I hafta to see how work's gonna be, the same with Rachel."

"Oh," Was all she could say. "How is Rachel?"

Puck grit his teeth, "That's why I called, I need to tell you something."

"What is it?" Ruth inquired.

Puck cleared his throat, "It's about Rachel, she, well she's-"

"MOM!" he heard in the background.

"Hold on sweetheart," She put a hand over the receiver. "Ada! I'm still speaking to your brother!"

He heard Ada say something and then he heard Finn's voice, the fuck? What was he doing there? He heard Finn greet his Ma then say something he couldn't catch.

"Ma?" Puck almost yelled into the phone.

"I'm sorry honey. Finn was just dropping off my car; I had to send it to the shop again." He heard her say goodbye to Finn.

His fist tightened.

"I told you I coulda sent you some money so you could get a new car-"

"No Noah," She sounded annoyed. "That's your money. Things are going well and it just needed a few repairs."

"Fine but if something like that happens again, call me. Ma, if I can help you, I will."

Ruth sighed again, "I know you will bubula. Now, you were going to tell me about Rachel, is everything ok between the two of you?"

Puck bit his lip, why was he so nervous? Who cares what other people thought but his Ma? She was the ultimate authority to him; even though he was sent away to live with his uncle, he couldn't hold it against her. He had been a mess; stealing an atm, going to juvie, he had needed a good ass-kicking and although he didn't like to think about it, his Uncle had done a pretty good job about giving it to him.

"Noah?" His Ma's voice rang in his ears, "Are you still there?"

Puck coughed again, "Yeah. Listen, Rachel wants you to come and visit."

oo

Rachel was elated, things were going so well between her and Noah; he was so happy about the baby, them. She had been to another doctor's appointment and so far the baby was growing at a normal rate. She was officially thirty weeks pregnant, roughly six months; she couldn't fathom how far along she was and that the baby was healthy.

It made her feel sick to even think about the fact that she had been pregnant and not properly taking care of herself but the doctor assured her that the baby was fine; even though she had gained ten pounds in the first and second trimester the doctor assured her she was gaining enough. In one week she had gained three pounds, probably from all the food Noah was feeding her.

He did advise to take it easy, nap, hydrate, and most importantly eat. She would follow those instructions to the T.

At her last ultrasound the doctor had asked her if they had wanted to know the sex; Noah did but Rachel suggested that she wanted to be surprised. Either way she was going to be happy; as long as the baby was healthy and had all 10 finger and toes, she didn't care.

After reaching the 5 month mark, they realized she couldn't hide it anymore; overnight her belly had gotten big and noticable.

She told Noah that it was time to start telling people, he agreed and said that it was up to her who she wanted to tell.

Would she tell her fathers'?

She didn't know, the only one she spoke was to LeRoy, and that was occasionally. He didn't ask her anything about Noah, mainly asking her how she was, about her work but never about her relationship.

It was awkward to the say the least, she wanted so badly to tell him that they were going to be grandparents, but if she told him he would tell Hiram and who knew how he would react. She loved her dad, so much but he wasn't going to accept Noah. She wasn't going to let Hiram try to dictate her life, she loved Noah and now this baby but she knew she had to tell them. Soon.

It took another week for Noah to convince her to call them even though Hiram had treated him like crap and he couldn't tell his Ma just yet, Rachel needed more love from them; she had him true, but she needed more than just him.

Rachel would hang up before the phone even rang, it worked her nerves to try to tell them.

Finally one night she figured it was enough, she was six months pregnant and she wanted her fathers' there to witness the birth.

"Babe, whatever you want. Call 'em. You need them too."

Rachel couldn't help but cry, happy tears; how did she manage to find such a wonderful, loving, and understanding man?

So one afternoon she did.

oo

LeRoy sat in his office holding a picture frame, it was the last picture that had been taken of his little family; it was from Rachel's graduation from OSU and what should've been a happy day, deep down hadn't been. Rachel had been forced to give up her dream and become someone she wasn't. It was the next day that Rachel decided she was leaving for New York, it broke his heart; his little girl was gone and he had done nothing to stop it. He had let Hiram decide for him, Hiram had later regretted it but refused to give in.

"If Rachel really wants to come back, she will."

And LeRoy hadn't questioned it, that was the problem; he had let Hiram make all the decisions and that had caused Rachel from contacting him.

Receiving that phone call from her asking for his help had been one of the most unexpected surprises in his life, just hearing her voice had been a blissful sound.

Rachel telling him that her fiancé needed his help he jumped at the chance but hearing who her fiancé was, Noah Puckerman, he paused for a moment; him? Of all the people she chose him?

He knew he had no say in who she loved but everything he heard and saw from Noah had trouble he didn't want that for his daughter. But with no hesitation had booked a flight and made arrangements to stay in New York.

Only when he told Hiram about leaving was when he regret ever opening his mouth; dinner had been a disaster.

"She's getting married? To who?"

LeRoy told him.

"I forbid it! You aren't going-" Hiram was angry.

"Hiram, listen to me," LeRoy said, exasperated." I am going to see Rachel! She needs my help as well as Noah, MY daughter needs me!"

"NO! If she really-"

"I listened to you last time and look what happened!" LeRoy stood up from his chair making it tip over, Hiram gasped; ignoring it he continued. "She didn't call, I didn't know anything about her for 8 years! Had she been sick? Did she have a place to live? Was my daughter even alive?"

He pointed an angry finger at Hiram, "That was your fault! I'm going and you aren't going to stop me!" Leroy picked up his chair and placed his hands on the table. "If you try, I'm leaving you. I'm done with this. I've let you make the decisions for the last 10 years. I lost my daughter-"

"I lost her too!" He yelled out. "You think that I don't regret doing that to her? Every. Single. Day. I love OUR daughter. If I could take it all back I would, in a heartbeat."

LeRoy sighed, "I'm leaving tomorrow morning-"

"I'm going with you." Hiram interrupted.

LeRoy knew he was defeated, Hiram wasn't going to change his mind, "Fine."

"I'm going to talk Ruth Puckerman as well. Why didn't we hear about this? Does she know? I don't like Rachel's relationship with Noah-"

"Hiram…" LeRoy warned. "Rachel's an adult, she knows what she's doing; don't meddle."

Hiram got up and shook his head, "I still love and care for our daughter; no matter what you think. I just want to make sure she knows what she's doing. Noah Puckerman? That boy was trouble, he was sent away for stealing an ATM; who knows what kind of trouble he's up to now."

He sighed, shaking that memory from his head and thinking about the confrontation Hiram and Rachel had had in New York; he felt horrible, he was stuck in the middle between his husband and their daughter. He couldn't take sides; what an awful place to be.

He put the picture down just as his phone rang, "LeRoy Berry speaking."

"Hello daddy."

* * *

><p>A filler chapter but it sets some serious stuff in motion! So stay tuned.<p>

And I have an idea what they're going to have but I might change my mind!


	21. Chapter 21

A/N: Hello again! So thank you for your reviews and suggestions! Ya'll are awesome for stickin' with me and this crappy little story. But please continue reviewing! They make my day!

Not beta'ed, any mistakes are mine.

Disclaimer: Anything you recognize, not mine.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 21: We Are Family<strong>

Noah gripped Rachel's hand just a bit tighter, she brought they're hands onto his chest and kissed him before asking, "Noah, are you sure about this?"

He nodded and smiled, "I wanna be with you. I want you to be Puckerman or Puckerman-Berry, whatever fuckin' way you want but I want you to be a Puckerman." His other hand went down to her belly, "I want the baby to be Puckerman too."

Rachel touched his face with her finger, slowly tracing his smile, "Ok. Let's get married."

oo

"You're what!" Kurt screeched out.

Rachel flinched, after deciding to start telling people, Kurt was the first one; judging by his reaction she didn't know whether it had been a good idea or not.

She came in early that morning and then called him to her office; her pregnancy had become even more noticeable in the last few days and decided to tell him before anyone saw her and tell him before she could.

Kurt had expected something else, like maybe a new class, "Introduction to Modern Dance" that he was hoping for (begging for) it to happen soon and Rachel was going to bring in a new instructor.

Not this.

"Are you crazy?" Kurt demanded. "Pregnant? With child? Rachel! I though you were smarter than that."

Rachel could feel her face burn and her eyes become misty with tears, she furiously wiped them as they came down her cheeks, "I'm sorry you think I might be stupid Kurt-"

She stood up and walked around her desk to open the door.

Kurt sighed, "I'm sorry. I'm just surprised is all. Come here."

He walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her, they stood like that for a moment before Kurt asked, "Are you happy?"

Rachel nodded into his shoulder.

Kurt groaned, "That means that it shouldn't matter what I think, don't get me wrong, I'm happy for you but-but I wish you would've told me something first. How did I not know you and Puck were going to get married? Now you're going to have a baby. Rachel look at me."

She looked up and saw tears forming in his eyes, "I am so happy for you. Ok?"

Rachel hugged Kurt harder and cried, damn these hormones, "I'm sorry Kurt. I've been a terrible friend."

"Forget it," Kurt said, he dabbed his tears with his knuckles and cleared his throat. "Now, no more crying."

He helped Rachel sit down, "You are going to have a baby. That means it's going to be fabulous like it's mama, oh! Are you having a girl?"

Rachel shook her head no, "A boy then!"

She giggled, "No Kurt. I don't know what this baby's going to be. I've decided I want it to be a surprise."

Kurt rolled his eyes, "Always the drama queen. You're no fun Rachel."

She asked him not tell anyone, he promised he wouldn't.

oo

Rachel looked over at Noah who was fast asleep, then at the clock, 1:45 AM, great; she had been trying to sleep for the last two hours but with no luck. She sighed and rubbed her swollen belly, it really wasn't the baby bothering her but she found it difficult to shut off her mind.

It had started the day she hadn't told her daddy she was pregnant, she couldn't; so she had asked him to come to New York and she would tell him in person. He was due to come at the end of the following week and she was petrified. Noah had been ok with it but promised that he would throw Hiram out if he started with his shit again. She promised him that if Hiram did do or say something, he had her permission. That calmed him down a bit but he said he'd still keep his guard up.

Coupled with the fact that Noah's mother was going to be in town the week after her fathers' the following week, she was a bundle of nerves; Noah had informed her that he couldn't tell her over the phone either.

It frustrated her that they both didn't have the courage to face their parents.

She rubbed her belly again, feeling the baby move around; it was unreal how it felt, how she could feel when the baby had the hiccups or when it gave a good strong kick to her ribs. She felt terrible at first because deep down in her heart she had thought of simply getting rid of it, but after finding out how far along she was, she couldn't, this was their baby and even though it hadn't started out as "love" (yeah right) it was there; they felt it for each other and now for this baby.

She looked over at Noah again, "I can't believe I haven't been able to sleep all night... I feel like punching you out of your sleep."

She wasn't going to do it but it wasn't fair that he could sleep and she couldn't, plus her hormones were in full swing and she wasn't sure how to handle them. One moment she was happy, going through the baby store and looking at the onesies but then the next she was sobbing, it was so strange; watching a certain movie or a commercial would make her break down.

He looked so peaceful but she knew he wasn't, he was stressed just as she was; his mother coming to visit and now with his job being more demanding, he was being stretched thin.

For one thing, Noah had been promoted; instead of managing one up and comer, he was managing the managers. He didn't deal directly with the kids (Thank God) but with the wranglers. Blaine worked for him now (HA!) and he was earning more money.

It wasn't that he earned more but just dealing less with thos kids was the bonus. The one he had been dealing with was driving him insane, asking for spa days, or postpone the recording session to take a "mental health day" (the little shit was hungover and STILL drunk). It was crap to babysit him but when his boss announced that the little shit's dad had nothing but gratitude for Puck and then promoted him on the spot. Totally worth it.

He came home so happy and excited that night.

oo

"BABE!"

Puck's voice boomed loudly through their apartment and she jumped at the sound of voice; she got up from their bed as fast as could (which wasn't very) and met him in their hallway.

He gave her a hug and then kissed her, he had a grin on his face and she couldn't help but grin back at him.

"Babe!" he said again. "I just got the most kick-ass news today!"

He gripped her shoulder before she could answer, "I got promoted!"

Rachel squealed, "Noah! That's wonderful!"

Noah gave her another kiss on the lips, "Damn babe, I'm so happy!"

Rachel giggled, it was rare to see him this way and she loved it.

"Are we going to celebrate?"

"Hell yes! I know that we can't do the usual celebrating but who the hell cares? I wanna celebrate with you and the baby, come on, let's go to the best restaurant in the city!"

They actually ended up going to a dinky diner that night but only because Rachel really wanted waffles, but he didn't care; he loved giving Rachel what she wanted.

oo

Rachel ran a hand over his features, his brow which was furrowed, down his cheek that had a hint of 5 o'clock shadow and then his chin; she loved every part of him but his chin was so defined, holding those wondeful plump lips that she enjoyed kissing.

The baby was frantic at that moment, kicking and moving; she placed her hand on her belly when she felt a particularly hard kick and smiled, the baby knew she was happy about Noah and was happy too. How odd that someone knew how she felt and it was someone so little; her heart raced every time she was near Noah, she had read that the baby responded to ho her emotions.

Just as she contemplated to wake Noah up and tell him how hard the baby was kicking, he woke up. He turned to his nightstand and turned a small lamp on.

"Rach?" His voice was laced with sleepiness.

"Hmm?"

He sat up and looked at Rachel, "You ok?"

She exhaled, "Yeah. I just can't sleep."

Puck frowned, "The baby ok?"

Rachel nodded, "It's not the baby."

She stroked her belly, "But it won't stop moving around."

He smoothed his hand over hers and felt the baby give a good kick, "Damn, this kid's gonna be a soccer player."

Rachel smiled, "Or a good dancer."

Puck nodded and kissed her, "Whatever it wants to be."

He looked at her again, "Babe, I know you don't want to know what the baby's gonna be but I do. I don't wanna call 'it' or 'this kid' anymore. Don't you wanna call it by its name?"

Rachel shook her head, "Noah, I don't care whether the baby is a boy or a girl; I don't think we're traumatizing it by calling it an it or this kid for right now." She brought his hand up to her cheek, "It's a part of me and you, that's all that matters."

Puck kissed her again, "Ok. Whatever you want. But I think we should start looking into names, this baby is gonna have a kickass name and be a badass like his pop. Or hers."

Rachel snuggled into his arms, "Hmm, I hope so. And you're right, I'll start looking into names He or She is going to need a strong name and I'm going to love it so much."

"Hell yeah we are. Shit-" Rachel smacked his arm. "Sorry. I mean this just got real."

Rachel yawned instead of answering.

Puck grinned, "Love ya babe."

She was fast asleep.

oo

Rachel held the baby book while ate her sandwich, she usually reserved herself to be a vegan but with her pregnancy she had decided to. put that on hold; the doctor conveyed to her she could continue her regime but she decided to forgo it for right now. Four more months and she could go back to her regular diet.

She chewed methodically while reading the names off; occasionally jotting something down in her small pink notebook; Noah had been right in looking for a name for the baby, maybe they wouldn't know what she was going to have until birth but she at least had an idea. Another thing would be was would the name be Jewish? Mainstream? She didn't know, but she was sure she could narrow the list to a few suitable choices.

She finished her sandwich and walked to the sink to wash her dishes, just as she was drying the plate her phone rang.

"Kurt!" Rachel answered, "Is everything going ok?"

"Yes, everything's going well but I think you should come in today. The new instructor starts today and I'm going to need you here."

Being pregnant wasn't going to stop her from working, to the annoyance of Noah, but she did cut back her days and instead of all week she only worked four days a week and just the mornings

Noah wanted her to stop working all together but she couldn't, the studio was her baby (apart from the one she was carrying) and she knew she was going to be gone a while after the baby was born and she wanted to make all the important decisions now.

Rachel looked over at the clock, 7:45, she could go in and be home by noon and Noah wouldn't be the wiser.

"I'll be there in an few hours."

Puck was tired, this new manager was nice but damn was he slow; he had to repeat everything twice and then twice again, the guy couldn't understand the routine and it was starting to piss Puck off.

"Damn it Blaine, why the hell did Stevens pick this guy?" Puck growled. "This is bullshit."

Blaine chuckled, "He's his son-in-law. His daughter begged him for it."

Puck rolled his eyes, "Figures."

Blaine shrugged, "Well look on the bright side, he'll be here with you only today then tomorrow he'll go with Sam. You won't have to deal with him again."

"Thank fuck."

Puck turned away from Blaine and searched for his phone, Rachel said she was going to do some shopping then be home in time to fix dinner; dammit did he want to be home and be with her now but fuck, worked sucked ass.

Blaine noticed Puck staring at his phone, "How's Rachel?"

Puck gave a non-committal shrug, "S'ok. Tired, hungry all the time, shit don't tell her I said that but she is!"

Blaine sniggered, "I won't. And the baby?"

Puck had decided to tell a few people at the office, Blaine, Tina, and Sam; they were the people closest to him; no one else really needed to know. His boss was gonna need to know sooner or later so he could leave when the baby was born but he still had some time.

"From what I understand the baby's doing good too, we went to another ultrasound; freakiest shit I've ever seen. At first all you could see was blob but now, fuck man you can see an actual baby. We went for one of those 4D ones, seriously, my mind was blown." He pulled out a picture from his wallet and handed it to Blaine.

"Whoa," was all he could say.

"Yup."

Blaine handed it back to Puck, "So what is it?"

Puck shrugged again, "Dunno, Rach told the techie to not tell us. But damn, I wanna know. Boy or girl I don't give a shit but I wanna know."

Blain could see a sentimental Puck talk, he was changing; becoming a dad was something Puck was looking forward to. Blaine was a bit jealous, Puck had a woman he loved and a baby was on the way. Blaine wanted that too. Obviously not the woman, but a family. The last guy he had been with, Elliot, hadn't wanted that; all he wanted to party and have fun. That wasn't a bad thing overall but Blaine wanted to settle down already, start a family, have a kid or two. Elliot had practically ran out the door when Blaine had expressed his desires. That had been almost two years ago, since then he hadn't been in a relationship. He had been on a few dates but that had been it, no real chemistry or serious prospects in his eyes.

Puck noticed Blaine just staring at the ultrasound, now they were bros, had been for years and he knew Blaine; he knew everything that had happened between him and Elliot. He had liked Elliot but after what that douche had done to Blaine, Elliot had moved to the blacklist.

"Blaine?"

"Huh?" Blaine looked over at Puck.

"You ok?"

Blaine handed the picture back to Puck.

"Uh, yeah. I'm cool. That's really awesome about the baby."

Puck took in a breathe and sighed, "Listen-"

"Puck, I'm fine." Blaine said firmly and walked away, "Later."

Puck watched him walk away and rubbed the back of his neck, "Great."

oo

Rachel walked the last leg of the block exhausted, it didn't matter that the cab had dropped her off just two blocks off instead of in front of her studio; she was tired.

Really, her belly had grown so much just in the last week that she felt bigger than she really was; she was six and half months pregnant and feeling every bit of it. She pushed the door open instead of going through the back door and was instantly greeted by a surprised Anya.

"Ms. Berry!" Anya ran up and led Rachel to a chair. "Please, sit down. Mr. Kurt wasn't expecting you for another hour."

Rachel frowned, "I'm aware of that, but I thought it would be better for me to be here before we opened; I need to talk to the new instructor about a few things. Where is Kurt?"

Anya coughed, "He's in his office with someone. He, um, he said it was an old friend of his and that he would be out soon."

"An old friend?" Rachel said, "How odd. Did he say who it was?"

Anya shook her head, "No Ms. Berry. She came in and Mr. Kurt quickly moved to his office."

Rachel stood up, Anya helped her up.

"Thank you, I'll go to Kurt's office and talk to him."

Anya nodded and watched Rachel walk away.

oo

"Look Kurt, I don't know anything about her. No phone calls, email- Nothin'. What the hell is going on that Puck's mom is coming to New York? And the Berry's?"

Kurt paced, "I'm not going to tell you anything. It's not up to me."

Santana huffed, "Fuck Kurt! Somethin' big is happenin' and I want to fuckin' know!"

Kurt shook his head, "Santana, no. Don't-"

"Regardless of what happened, I still care about Berry. She's still important to me."

Kurt stopped pacing and looked at Santana who nervously wringing her hands as she sat on the chair opposite him, he sat as desk and brought his hand under his chin.

"I can't tell you."

Santana groaned, "Why the hell not?"

"Because I promised Rachel that I wouldn't say anything to anyone. I'm not going to break that promise."

Santana stood up and walked to Kurt's window, she looked out at the skyline and sighed, "At least tell me she's ok?"

"She is," Kurt said quietly.

Santana turned back around and faced Kurt, there was a knock at the door.

"Kurt?"

* * *

><p>Someone asked to post today and I wasn't going to but I finished this today and I just had to! But no promises for the next chapter!<p>

PS, I feel like I'm becoming a better writer as the story progresses so I'm gonna go over some of my earlier chapters and tweak some things, it won't be a massive change but I don't know. What do ya'll think?


	22. Chapter 22

A/N: Sorry guys but I'm really busy at work, working 11 hour days is exhausting! No promises for next chapter!

Not beta'ed, any mistakes are mine.

Disclaimer: Anything you recognize, not mine.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 22: Unexpected Reality…<strong>

Rachel knocked on the door, "Kurt?"

Before he could answer, she pushed the door open. She saw Kurt sitting on his desk and was about to scold him for doing that when she saw Santana, sitting in Kurt's chair.

She paled, quickly let out a sorry and ran off.

Kurt called after her but she wouldn't stop walking; she opened the door to her office and quickly shuffled in. With the door slammed shut, she started to cry.

Loud sobs filled the room, her chest heaved and big fat tears rolled down her cheeks.

Santana was here, Santana was going to find out about her baby and were things going to get worse?

A frantic knock broke out then Kurt's voice called out her name.

"Rachel!" Another knock, "Please open the door. Please Rachel!"

"Go away Kurt," Rachel said as she wiped her cheeks. "Just go away."

Kurt leaned against the door, "Let me explain, please Rachel."

"You don't have to explain Kurt," She let out a trembling breath. "But go away."

Kurt wasn't going to take no for answer, Santana was standing behind, he wasn't sure if she had noticed Rachel's pregnancy but was too afraid to ask.

"Rachel?"

Rachel heard Santana say her name but didn't answer.

"Rachel, it's not his fault. I came here without telling him, I wanted to see you. I-I miss you. Miss talkin' to you. I'm sorry Rachel. I'm leaving now." Santana placed a hand on Kurt's shoulder, "Take care of her. Tell Puck if he doesn't I'm comin' back and raising hell. "She paused for a moment, and then said, "I'm moving to Chicago."

She gave Kurt a strong hug and turned to the door, she put one hand on the door "I'm sorry Rachel."

Kurt watched her walk off, he held back a sob, is this really happening? One of his best friends is leaving after ten years of friendship?

He knocked on the door again, "Rachel! Open the door. Please open the door. I can't do this again."

Rachel heard Kurt's voice breaking, she wasn't crying anymore and she had moved to a chair by the door. What she did hear were footsteps descending had Santana left?

oo

Puck rolled his eyes, "Josh, no. Just no. You can't dip the microphone in the bucket, you'll ruin it. Know what? Go see Blaine; he has some stuff you can do. In his office. On the other side of the building."

Josh shrugged and handed the bucket to Puck, "K. I'll be in Mr. Anderson's office."

"Moron," Puck muttered under his breath as Josh walked out of the room. He hated this babysitting part of the job; he was stuck holding hands and trying to teach the new intern how to do basic things. These kids were idiots, they expected to come in and have an easy job: nope you were an intern, you were a gopher.

He went to the bathroom and dumped the bucket, seriously, this kid was an idiot who couldn't disinfect the booth correctly; who tries to dump water on the mixing board? He grumbled under his breath. He was the boss so why was he stuck with the dirty work? Fuckin' Stevens and his damn daughter, he couldn't damm well fire Josh and it sucked.

He was putting the bucket back in the supply closet when his phone started buzzing; he wiped his hands on his dress shirt (gross), Rachel's name popped up. A text message. Weird.

Call me. -Babe

He usually called right as soon he was walking out the door, so for her to text was strange; he quickly punched call and she answered on the first ring.

"Noah," Rachel's voice trembled. "I need you."

oo

Ruth Puckerman glanced up to see her daughter, Ada, running away from her step-son, Jake and Jake's girlfriend, Marley; she smiled, it was hot and the her kids had decided to have an impromptu water gun fight. It didn't matter that they weren't kids anymore, they looked like they were having so much fun; she sighed, things were slowly getting better.

Ada was set to graduate in the next few months, Jake had graduated a few years earlier, so had Marley and were now attending Ohio State; Ada was still in limbo about where she wanted to attend, OSU was a choice but Ada wanted to live on her own. That broke Ruth's heart but Ada felt so strongly about it, she understood the need for Ada to feel like she was coming onto her own; Noah had done it even though he hadn't wanted it, Ruth deeply regret everything she had done to him.

She could remember his pleading, his promise that he could change but she had ignored it all.

oo

Now, like any teenaged boy, he kept things to himself. He wasn't willing to share anything; she truly didn't know a thing about him. Was he failing school? Did he have a girlfriend? Nothing.

The only times she heard from him was when he was suspended from school or had fought at school. Those were the only time.

But Noah surprised her one afternoon.

"Ma?" Noah said as he came into the kitchen. "Can we talk?"

Ruth smiled and gave him a kiss on the cheek, "Of course bubula."

Noah ran his hand over his mohawk, Ruth's back was turned and stirring a pot on the stove, "Turn around Ma. Please.

Just the sound of his voice made her heart plummet; she turned to look at him and sighed, "Oh Noah, what did you do this time?"

Puck frowned, "Well uh, see the uh, thing is uh, Qu-quinn Fabray? You know her? Well, uh, she, I, uh, is pre-pregnant?"

Ruth was quiet, shocked? Stupefied? All of the above? Silence filled the small kitchen, Ruth's heart pounded in her ears, sadness dominating her senses.

Puck couldn't read his Ma's face, but come on, was he crazy to think that she wasn't upset?

He was sixteen, not an idiot.

"Noah how could you?" Ruth finally cried out, "Yo-you got the Fabray girl pregnant! You're sixteen years old! What are you going to with a baby?"

Puck shrugged, trying his hardest to seem unconcerned, when in reality he was terrified, "Ma, it's cool. Trust me, I can do this."

Ruth was angry, disappointed, petrified for her son. She had been a teenaged mother and knew how difficult things would be for them. She had expected many things from Noah, not necessarily good things but being a sixteen-year-old father was not one of them. She looked at her son who was sitting in the chair across from her, leg bouncing, hand rubbing the back of his head and looking so much younger than his sixteen years. What was going to happen? Was the girl going to come and live with them? So many questions and Ruth wasn't sure at the moment, but Noah had thrown her a curve ball for sure.

Instead of saying anything, she hugged her son tightly and then cupped his cheek, "You have to do the right thing Noah Puckerman."

Puck nodded, "I won't abandon this baby."

That night she and Noah went to see the Fabray's, only to her surprise Quinn hadn't said anything to her parents; needless to say they weren't thrilled.

Her dad kicked Ruth and Puck out, the next day Quinn had to leave suddenly 'because her aunt was sick in Akron' and then Puck ended up in juvie for stealing the ATM.

It was the following month after getting out of juvie that he ended up with his Uncle Phillip.

She shook her head, she knew she had made a mistake; one of the biggest ones of her life. She had hoped Noah had understood that she had tried to give him his best chance, to do something with his life but for that to happen, he had to leave Lima. And he had.

He was a manager for singers and artists, but she knew deep down he resented her for sending her away. And she couldn't blame him. She did at times, especially now that he lived in New York. She rarely got to see Beth, she saw her once for her fourth birthday and then again her eighth.

But now that he was engaged to Rachel, she hoped things would change, especially now that she had been invited to New York.

She looked again to Ada who was yelling at Jake for grabbing the hose and trying to shove it down her shirt.

"Ada!" She yelled out, "I need to speak to you!"

oo

Puck raced out of his office and flagged down a cab, he yelled to Tina that he was leaving for the day and no one was to bother him.

After hanging up with Rachel and hearing her tearful voice, he knew he had to be with her; she told him she was at the studio.

He managed to get a cab pretty quickly and make it to Rachel's studio in less then twenty minutes, he rushed the doors and ran to her office. Kurt wasn't around and when he tried her and found it locked.

He pounded on it, "BABE? Open the door!" He put his ear on the door but couldn't hear noise. He tried again, "Rachel? Come on. Open the door. Are you ok?"

This time he heard the latch click and then a swollen faced Rachel stood at the door, "No-noah."

He stepped forward and hugged her then kissed her forehead, "Babe, what happened?"

Rachel sniffed into his shoulder, "Santana-"

"What? What the hell was she doing here? Where's Kurt?"

Rachel shrugged, "He left. So did Santana. I don't know Noah."

He growled under his breath, "Rach, does she know about?" He rubbed her belly.

Rachel shook her head, "I don't think so. She didn't say anything-"

"Rachel!" Kurt's voice came up behind her. "Rachel please-"

Puck turned around and Kurt stopped walking, "Hummel, you better have a good explain about why the hell Santana was here. You know how Rachel's feeling about her!"

Kurt flinched, "I'm sorry! I didn't know she was coming, Santana just showed up and what was I supposed to do? I tried to get her to leave but she wouldn't-"

Rachel made a small noise, Puck gripped her a tiny bit harder, "Babe?"

Rachel grimaced, "I don't know, I felt something-"

She let out a squeal, "Noah-" Another grimace, "Get me to the hospital! NOW!"

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><p>Sorry for the sudden ending and short chapter! I think there's 2 or 3 chapters left! PLEASE REVIEW!<p> 


	23. Chapter 23

Not beta'ed, any mistakes are mine.

Disclaimer: Anything you recognize, not mine.

Anyways, please enjoy and PLEASE review!

**Chapter 23: I, Am Your Family**

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><p>This was torture.<p>

Waiting was something Puck hated. He could never do it and even more now when he didn't know what type of news he was going to get.

He'd been waiting for what felt like hours but had been really only been an hour.

Puck was weary, the doctors weren't giving him any information. Standing around the waiting holding a paper coffee cup and watching people rush in out was exhausting.

But he had no choice. He had to wait.

Rachel didn't have time and getting her here as fast as he could had been the easy part. As soon as he had arrived, the doctors and nurses had pushed him out of the way and taken Rachel through the doors where he couldn't see her anymore. She had cried out his name and his instinct had been to run through the doors but a nurse had rushed out and handed him a clipboard of forms for him to fill out.

In that moment, he had never felt so helpless. Rachel was gone and he had to sit out there unable to hold her hand.

Answering the stupid question seemed so trivial. He didn't want to be here, he wanted to be in there with Rachel and comfort her. Tell her that everything was going to be ok. He didn't know if things were really going to be ok but he didn't care. He needed to be with her.

An hour ticked by when he decided he had had enough.

He walked to the nurses' station and demanded information. The night nurse had looked at him with an unfazed face and relayed what she told everyone.

"There isn't any information yet. Please have and seat. A nurse will be with you as soon as we know something."

_Bitch._

This was bullshit, and this fucking nurse was being a bitch. Puck needed to know how Rachel and the baby were doing. He ran his hand through his scalp for comfort as he walked back to the waiting room, nothing at this moment would be a comfort except seeing Rachel safely in his arms. The baby was ok and would be born when it was time.

As he sat and waited, he thought about them getting away. That was what he was going to tell her when they were home. A little baby-moon after they got married in the coming weeks. Being in New York was slowly making Rachel more uncomfortable. Running into Santana or Jesse was possible and after last night, they needed to get away.

He looked over at a middle-aged man laughing and smiling surrounded by what Puck presumed was his family. They were in the waiting room of the maternity ward and the man had brought out a bundle of pink to show his family. They looked so happy, joyous at the new life while Puck sat with his nerves on edge.

He brought his hands up his face and felt the tears start to form. Fuck being a man, he had a fiancé that he loved and was in danger with their unborn child.

He felt a weight on his shoulder. Had he really called her? It must've happened when the nurse had shoved him out, he couldn't remember.

"Puck," He quietly heard next to him.

He turned and came face to face with a pair of green eyes on the brink of tears.

He shook his head, "I don't know anything."

oo

Quinn turned the page of the magazine and looked up when she heard a sign. She saw Beth staring intently at her. Quinn smiled but Beth pouted her lips. Quinn furrowed her eyebrows and stood up. She pulled a chair out and placed it next to Beth; she sat down and enveloped Beth into a hug. Beth buried her head into Quinn's chest and sighed again.

"Beth, sweetie, what's wrong?" Quinn asked.

Beth inhaled Quinn's scent and smiled before saying, "I'm just glad you're here with me today mom. I miss you."

Quinn couldn't help but smile.

"So am I sweetie. I'm sorry I've been away."

Beth pulled her head up and looked into Quinn's eyes, "Promise?"

Quinn loved her daughter but loathed feeling the guilt about leaving her behind so much, just to fulfill her ridiculous ego.

"Promise." The words made Beth fill with happiness, Quinn released her.

"I'm gonna call dad. He said that he was gonna take me shopping!"

She internally cringed but smiled at Beth. The little girl happily skipped away.

Quinn hadn't booked a modeling in weeks; her agent had warned her to slow down and spend time with Beth, the little girl wasn't going to be little much longer and soon Quinn was going to be alone.

Alone.

She hated that word, "alone". It meant sadness, no one to love her, look after her; was it wrong to want someone to love her?

She was pretty, she had manners, and in her humble opinion, she was the perfect woman.

However, if she was all that, why didn't she have who she wanted? She wanted Puck, plain and simple.

Did she love him?

No.

However, she wanted Beth to have a family, a mom and a dad that loved each other and loved Beth to pieces. That's what her little girl deserved and more.

But no.

He was with Rachel, why?

Ever since high school, everyone had chosen Rachel. First Finn and now Puck. Then Santana and Kurt as well, everyone loved Rachel.

What did Rachel have that everyone liked her better than Quinn?

Quinn couldn't understand. Rachel got everything while she had nothing.

Well, she did have something that would keep Puck around for at least six more years: Beth. No matter how pissed or angry he would get, he still had to call and see Beth.

oo

Rachel was tired.

Beyond tired and to the point where she wanted to burst into tears and yell "FUCK IT!" She didn't of course, she still had manners but this was pushing her to the limit.

This was not part of her (very) detailed birth plan, which she had been updating every time she read something new in a book or during her daily Google searches.

She knew being tired was part of the plan but not like this. All the warnings from the baby books said the same thing; expect little sleep before the baby's born and after.

She needed to sleep, desperately, but with Noah coming in and out of the room asking her if she needed anything every five minutes, sleep was becoming a commodity; for goodness sake all she wanted was to sleep for more than ten minutes.

She chided herself the third time he had come in, because she knew why he was doing it. He was just so worried for her, this wasn't easy for either of them and he felt so helpless; she was the one suffering physically but both were suffering emotionally as well.

Being on bed rest was draining, it sounded like a dream come true to be able to lay all day in bed but it was far from it, considering she was an active person and self-reliant; being confined to a bed all day was the worst.

Running to the hospital had been a nightmare,

oo

Shit. Shit. SHIT.

Puck ran a hand through his newly shaved head, it was a comfort for him but it didn't work. He messed up and now, well now he was in some deep shit.

He stood outside gripping the cell phone tightly in his hand, his eyes shut tight and muttering to himself.

He had rushed Rachel to the hospital and right now she was asleep, the doctor had managed to calm her down but

"I can't, please. I just want to sleep. You can't make me. I'll just keep the baby in-"

Rachel felt a hand swipe the hair out of her face, her eyes popped open and the coldness of a washcloth opened them. A nurse smiled at her and passed the washcloth again.

"I'm done. I can't, I can't. I'm tired."

"Babe."

She looked to Noah who was holding her hand, "Rachel, I know baby. You're tired-"

"You don't know," she bit out.

He flinched at her tone.

(She didn't care.) "You're not pushing out a watermelon through your ass and you don't feel-"

A contraction hit before she could finish, she didn't care that Noah groaned because she crushed his hand, all she wanted was to get this baby out and sleep.

She was tired, her labor had been going on for twelve hours and so far all she had managed was to be six centimeters dilated.

The contraction subsided and she fell against the pillow.

This was a nightmare.

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><p>AN: So so sorry for the massive delay! Life has gotten away from me and well things aren't going so well. I had to go back to school, move from the state to get away from a very toxic divorce. Things have gotten so bad that I think that I might have to move again. Excuses I know BUT I PLAN TO FINISH THIS STORY! This chapter is crappy I'm sorry and angsty but that's the mood I've been in for the last 6 months. Again, SORRY but no promises.


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